The Old Curiosity Shop

Bird imagery in literature often represents freedom, especially if the bird itself is uncaged and in flight. When Nell is at her freest, the uncaged birds flock to her side; when she lives in London, the only bird is her caged linnet. The caged bird symbolizes repression, oppression, or otherwise stifled freedom and mobility. Nell feels trapped by the circumstances of her life in the city, and her grandfather feels trapped by his debts and his anxiety about the future. When Nell flees London, she does not take her bird with her; she pursues her freedom, leaving her own cage behind. Likewise, when Nell and her grandfather leave the waxwork, Nell follows the sound of a songbird mid-flight, signaling their move towards freedom after escaping the grandfather’s new gambling debts.

When Kit and the rescue party reach Nell’s new village only to find she has passed away, her grandfather remarks that “the very birds are dead” (498). He further states that during the winter when the birds were at their coldest and hungriest, they would fly away from the village men, but they would never fly away from Nell. When Nell finally succumbs to her diminished health, the birds die as well.