Part 1 Summary

The Breakfast Flock of 1,000 seagulls surrounds a fishing boat, but Jonathan Livingston Seagull practices flying slowly, apart from the others. Despite fierce concentration, he stalls and falls, which for a seagull brings disgrace and dishonor. Jonathan, no ordinary bird, tries again. Most gulls want to know no more about flight than how to get their food. Even Jonathan's parents are dismayed at his daily experimentation. He wonders why he can stay in the air longer with less effort when he flies low over the water. Mother asks why he cannot be like other gulls and leave low flying to pelicans and albatross. Why does he not eat? Jonathan is bone and feathers, but he does not mind.

Jonathan climbs to 1,000 feet to begin a full power dive. Every time he flaps his left wing to push over into a vertical dive, he rolls...