Edna is like a caged bird in this novel. Beautiful and charming to people looking at her, but underneath everything she is unhappy and longs to be free. Madame Reisz realizes the longings and true nature of Edna. She, too, knows what it is like to be a caged bird and has found release and freedom in her music. She wants to make sure Edna’s wings are strong enough to withstand the gale of criticism that will come her way. She herself has faced it afterall. Edna’s freedom cannot be fully realized. I feel the symbol of a bird with a broken wing will fully express Edna’s character. She enjoyed freedom for such a short while in the pigeon house, away from Leoncé and with Robert. When Robert leaves her, she is devastated. They are ill-fated lovers, and their love can never exist in society. Her heart is broken at this discovery and she does not wish to go on. Once awaken from her dreamy state, she can never go back to the way things were. She has tasted the forbidden fruit of knowledge.




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