What’s Up With the Ending?

Feathers isn't the kind of book that ends with a big bang. No one dies, and the last chapter doesn't even contain any big life event, like the arrival of Frannie and Sean's new sibling, or the exploration of the other side of the highway. Instead, the book ends with a quiet, contentment-filled family moment:

Then I put my head on Mama's shoulder and close my eyes, the sun warm against my face, the man's voice on the record getting softer and higher. Then fading away.

Each moment, I am thinking, is a thing with feathers. (22.20-21)

This may seem like it would be a snooze fest, but it's really the perfect way to tie up everything that Frannie has learned and internalized. Life isn't crazy and filled with all sorts of big and showy miracles; instead, the miracle of life is that you have these amazing, perfect little moments that you'll remember forever. And for Frannie, one of those moments is sitting with her mama, feeling the baby kick, and seeing how the light through the window has touched everyone in her family—everyone that she loves.