Question

Read these lines from the poem and answer the question.

Our Willoughby! How did you hear of it?
I expect, though, everyone's heard of it.
In a book about ferns? Listen to that!
You let things more like feathers regulate
Your going and coming. And you like it here?

Why does the narrator mention feathers?

Answer 1

because feathers are soft and whimsy or comfy and are attached to birds, stuffed in pillows and used for decorations

Answer 2

The sentences "You let things more like feathers regulate your going and coming" use the imagery of feathers floating about, aimlessly carried by the wind, to describe Willoughby's free spirited behavior. It implies that he goes wherever he wants, freely following his impulses and whims. Therefore, the narrator mentions feathers to express that the character does as he pleases.