A Bird in the House

A detailed Summary of A Bird in the House

The theme of entrapment is evident in Margaret Laurence's A Bird in the House; all the characters in the novel are entrapped. These characters deal with the sense of confinement and the need for escape. Vanessa, Ewen and Aunt Edna all reach personal freedom, however only to a small extent because they are left with the pain of their memories and regrets.

Vanessa reaches personal freedom to a small extent. The stories in A Bird in the House show the pains that Vanessa goes through while growing up. Vanessa travels on a journey form ignorance to knowledge. This journey is her comprehension of why things happen, and how the past, present and future are tied together. Vanessa realizes that the past affects the present which affects the future. While growing up Vanessa is faced with having to live with the dominance of Grandfather Conner. Grandfather Conner represents a dominant patriarchal figure that rules the family. He always had a strong control over the people that lived with him. He was a perfectionist and was very proud of what he had accomplished and at no cost would he let his reputation be scarred. After her fathers death Vanessa moved into the Brick House with Grandfather Conner, this is when she noticed

Similarly, Aunt Edna is a character that almost lets the opportunity to attain personal freedom pass by her. Aunt Edna spent her life trapped in the Brick house with Grandfather Conner and his power, she did not get any freedom while she was with him. Vanessa's mother and Aunt Edna had to seek freedom in the whispered conversations they had in the kitchen. Aunt Edna also had some momentary freedom when she was having an affair with Jimmy Lorimer. This freedom was taken away from her when the affair ended. So, once again Aunt Edna was trapped by Grandfather Conner. In "Jericho's Brick Battlements" Aunt Edna is faced with the opportunity to be free of Grandfather Conner, when she is presented with this opportunity she is not sure of whether she should take it or not. Wes Grigg is a character that is introduced in this story, he wants to marry Aunt Edna. At this point in the story it is evident that Beth (Vanessa's mother) is persuading Aunt Edna to marry him and get out of the house. Beth explains to Aunt Edna that she has had her freedom, and that it ended when Ewen died. Aunt Edna take's this into consideration and says: "'I guess I've got used to being back here in the old dungeon. It's strange, Beth. Father's impossible, and certainly no one has said it oftener than I have...I have the feeling that the absolute worst wouldn't happen here, ever," ("A Bird in the House," p.173). Aunt Edna knows that she has been trapped all the time that she has lived with Grandfather Conner however, when she has the opportunity to be free she doesn't feel that it is needed. Aunt Edna is a character in the compilation of stories that after many chances reaches freedom. Freedom from Grandfather Conner the person that made her feel like there was no where to run, she was finally free of him when she left his house. Therefore, it is evident that unlike other characters Aunt Edna reaches personal freedom at the end of the last story.

In the same manner, Ewen's regrets kept him from accomplishing personal freedom. In the story "To Set Our House in Order," Ewen shares with Vanessa the dream that he once had. The dream to go out into the merchant marine. Ewen tells Vanessa about Grandfather MacLeod and how h

Some common words found in the essay are:
Bird House, Aunt Edna, Grandfather Conner, Grandfather Conner's, House Ewen, Grandfather MacLeod, aunt edna, Grandmother MacLeod, Ewen Ewen, Wes Grigg, Ewen MacLeod, personal freedom, grandfather conner, bird house, reach personal, reach personal freedom, reaching personal freedom, brick house, vanessa realizes, free grandfather, memories regrets, freedom extent, personal freedom extent, theme entrapment evident, grandfather conner opportunity,

Approximate Word count = 1497
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English