The Ancient Greek Codex
The Ancient Greek codex is not only a powerful symbol; the writer includes it to create profound imagery of generational bonds in readers' minds. The Greek Codex, which is incredibly old, stills plays a vital role in the novel and in life in general. It is used to pass information through multiple generations.
Bird
As characters get closer to the eponymous Cloud Cuckoo Land, birds become more prevalent - in the sky, on the ground, and in the minds of characters. Doerr does this to ratchet up the tension in his novel; he also does this to emphasize how chaotic and strange the situations and story described in the novel are.
Owls
Doerr uses owl imagery quite frequently in the book as a way to underscore and dramatize humanity's connection to the world. As the world becomes stranger and stranger and as things become more obscured, more owls appear.
Big Cities
The author uses intense imagery of big, hulking cities to illuminate some of humanity's brilliance, but also their destructive tendencies. While humanity is to marshal the intelligence and work of countless people to build complex buildings, they are also capable of destroying themselves and those buildings at the drop of a hat.
