History Main / CagedBirdMetaphor

->''The bird, even a caged bird, remains a symbol of freedom and a stimulus for thinking about the relationship between freedom and human society.''

* ''Literature/MaidenCrown'' has a subtle example. Queen Sophie is a talented falconer, and owns a pet falcon that she often sets loose to hunt. The emphasis on her freeing her bird to fly is also paired with her being a miserable and unhappy queen who feels trapped in a foreign court with few friends.

-->'''Bert:''' You know, begging your pardon, but the one my heart goes out to is your father. There he is, in that cold, heartless bank day after day, hammed in by mounds of cold, heartless money. I don't like any living thing caged up.\\

** She sings [[IWantSong a whole song]] wondering why her caged birds are inspired to sing even in captivity, eventually making it clear that she is not just talking about them--she has spent nearly her entire life as a prisoner in Judge Turpin's mansion:

* ''WesternAnimation/BlueEyeSamurai''. Everyone thinks Princess Akemi is mad for not wanting her ArrangedMarriage to the son of the shogun, but she thinks it is this trope. At one point she frees the caged bird that's been given to her as a wedding gift, only for the bird to be shot with an arrow fired by her future husband as it flies away.

* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'': As the title suggests, bird imagery recurs throughout this film in relation to [[ComicBook/HarleyQuinn Harley]] and her gang. Places where specifically caged birds show up include when Harley and Cassandra turn on the TV to see [[WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird Tweety Bird]] in his cage, and the caged canary Doc keeps in his restaurant. There's a close-up of it when he's packing up to leave after betraying Harley.

* ''VideoGame/Persona4'': Yukiko Amagi's Shadow takes the form of a caged bird during her boss battle, symbolizing her personal frustration in being forced to inherit her family's inn instead of freely deciding her future. Ironically, the door on Shadow Yukiki's cage hangs open, and she closes it when casting spells; this represents how Yukiko's own feelings of obligation are her biggest obstacle.

* ''VideoGame/Persona4'': Yukiko Amagi's Shadow is shown as a caged bird, symbolizing her personal frustration in being forced to inherit her family's inn instead of freely deciding her future. In a twist, ''the door is open'' - the only person forcing Yukiko to do anything is ''Yukiko''.

* ''VideoGame/TangleTower'' has Penny Pointer, who is basically a walking CagedBirdMetaphor. She dresses like a bird and spends all her time in an aviary that looks like a giant birdcage, to the point of being explicitly noted by Grimoire as such.

''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': "Stolas Sings" is a song rife with this trope. Stolas Ars Goetia(an owl-like demon) feels imprisoned by his status as [[BlueBlood Demon Royalty]] and shackled by his [[AwfulWeddedLife passionless arranged marriage to Stella]]. The song is about him finally facing the truth that his lover Blitzo is yet another person in his life who [[ButtMonkey played him like a fiddle for their own personal gain]].

* Norwegian band [[Music/{{DDE}} D.D.E.]] does a variation in the song "Ville fugla flyg" ("Wild Birds Fly"), which uses wild birds as a metaphor for those who fight for a better world, and domesticated birds as a metaphor for those who merely ''dream'' of a better world. It makes the point that if you want change, you have to join the former group even though it means you'll suffer for what you believe.

Often a {{Stock Visual Metaphor|s}}. Subtrope of AnimalMetaphor and close sister-trope to CallOfTheWildBlueYonder. The character is not quite AlwaysFemale, though there is a long-standing literary tradition of applying this to TheIngenue, DamselInDistress, or RebelliousPrincess, where it often overlaps with RichBoredom. Sister-trope to GirlInABox. Will often be a WideEyedIdealist or StepfordSmiler. Contrast BluebirdOfHappiness. May overlap with {{Birdcaged}}, where it's no longer a metaphor. Compare CanaryInACoalMine.

* This is an extremely common motif in classical paintings. See:

* Maya Angelou was seemingly fascinated by this trope.