What is the significance of the song, The Bird in the Gilded Cage, in the novel, The Victory Garden?

The song with the lyrics “only a bird in a gilded cage” symbolizes the way that Emily perceives herself and her life (2). Growing up in a sheltered and privileged home under strict parents, she identifies with the bird that is imprisoned in a cage that is beautiful in appearance but restrictive in nature. When she leaves home and joins the land girls, she feels as though she has flown free from the cage.