Caged Bird Is a Literary

CAGED BIRD is a literary motif that has been to express repression in all its forms. Subjugation of women, black minority community, defiant people, and anyone who appears "different" has often been adequately highlighted using the symbol of a caged bird. Caged bird that would want to fly, seek new horizons and establish her freedom, is unfortunately unable to accomplish this since she is imprisoned. In literature appearing at the turn of 20th century, this symbol appeared in important works like Frank Norris' McTeague, Kate Chopin's the Awakening and Paul Laurence Dunbar's "Sympathy."

In Kate Chopin's the Awakening, this symbol accentuates the deepest repressive forces that hamper the growth and freedom of the protagonist, Edna Pontellier. In the beginning of the novel, we hear a caged bird hollering: "Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That's all right!" (1) ("Go away! Go away! For heaven's sake!") which indicates the desperation and frustration that a caged bird felt at being imprisoned. These words were spoken as words of advice to Edna who shared the same feelings of desperation arising out of her ordinary marriage and equally mundane existence. The bird symbol was used to reflect on the feelings of helplessness that Edna experienced and was unable to shrug off. Another advice given to Edna- this time by Mademoiselle Reisz also includes reference to a bird: "The bird that would soar above the level of plain tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth." (83) but Edna is unable to gather enough courage to break free and her inability to break the cage leads to her tragic end.

In Dunbar's poem 'Sympathy', caged bird image was used specifically to highlight poet's feelings on discrimination that stemmed the growth of his talent and hampered his advancement. The conventions and exigencies of his time had caused frustration in poets like himself who wanted to expression for their talents but couldn't find acceptance. The famous opening line of the poem, "I know what the caged bird feels, alas!" And later "I know why the caged bird sings, ah me," provided inspiration for writers like Maya Angelou who borrowed the title for her highly acclaimed book from this poem.

In McTeague, Norris applied the caged bird motif to illustrate the protagonist's chained existence that was at the mercy of naturalistic forces. As the canary is moved from place to place, so is the protagonist forced to move from one experience to another until he dies. It symbolizes the protagonist's life and death experiences. When McTeague finally dies near the end as he is handcuffed with a corpse, we see the canary also breathing her last: "McTeague remained stupidly looking around him, now at the distant horizon, now at the ground, now at the half-dead canary chittering feebly in its little gilt prison." (Chapter 22)