My little Jungle Pea Hen loves to have babies. She has just hatched her fourth clutch of cute, bright eyed chicks. She's a very good mother, clucking at them and making sharp kk..kk noises to instruct them what to eat. The problem is that she is very naive. She doesn't realize that the big Tom turkey wants to eat her children and that there are rats just waiting for a midnight snack. In fact, if she tried to do it alone, her babies wouldn't survive. That's where I come in, the "deus ex machina", helping this poor mother by bringing her and her brood into my root cellar, supplying the food and water, warmth and safety.
In general, the "deus ex machina" is a poor literary tool. It means "god from the machine" and is a plot device used by authors in which a person or object suddenly appears out of nowhere to rescue a character from doom. It's a cop out. It's not good writing. But it's what I do a lot in real life.
This is the conflict all biologists studying animals have. Do they allow the animal to suffer in it's natural habitat for the sake of realistic research or save the animal they've come to love?
And it's not just animals I save but my sons as well when I fear the consequences will be too hard to bear. When they forget their homework and call me pleading, "Mom, can you bring me my homework, if I don't turn it in I'll get an F," how can I say no?
"Experts" say that I'm not letting them learn natural consequences for their actions and they'll never be functional adults if I always run to their aid. To them I say, it may be bad literature, but everyone needs some sort of deus ex machina in their life. Be it a mom, or an angel neighbor, we sometimes are in need of someone appearing out of nowhere to bring us aid.
