Symbolism of Birds in The Awakening

            "There was a dream, and one day I could see it. Like a bird in a cage, I broke in and demanded that somebody free it.".
             - Avett Brothers. .
             In the novel, "The Awakening," Kate Chopin demonstrates how women were "caged in the late 18th century and were unable to express themselves as individuals. She enunciates the hardship faced by ones who feel trapped by society and how they overcome it within themselves. By symbolizing women as birds, Chopin shows a better understanding of the Victorian women and how the different representations of birds contribute to this novel as a whole. .
             The first line in "The Awakening," states "a green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage."" (5). Protagonist Edna Pontellier is this parrot for she is imprisoned and cannot fly away. She is expected to be nothing other than a wife and mother to her children and live the same retinues as other women do during this time period. Being that the parrot is caged, it speaks "a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door"" (5). The fact that no one could understand the parrot, symbolizes that nobody understands Edna and she does not fit well in this society. Edna's actions are ones that are unusual to the Creole women, other than Madame Reisz. Madame Reisz is the only woman who does not follow the traditional routine and who understands Edna and her whereabouts. It is shown that the mocking-bird, being the only one to understand the parrot, is Madame Reisz. .
             Even though Chopin uses a captured bird to symbolize Edna's entrapment, this illustration is also an accurate reflection of typical Victorian women. The Creole women were caged not only by society, but by their husbands, children, and other women around them. They have been so ignorant to the live they live and the duties they perform, that they know no better. The women at Grand Isle are "Fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood"" (14).