Newspaper Shavings

Newspaper shavings symbolize knowledge in the novel. Newspaper shavings line the floor of Christopher's cages in his first cage with his mother, at Freddy's house and at Aubrey's house. Christopher's mother uses these shavings to teach her children to read. As Christopher learns, the newspaper shavings bring knowledge that is both good and bad. He enjoys reading about movies and books, but he does not like knowing that people will pay more for one steak dinner than they will invest in the purchase of a white mouse. The knowledge provided through the newspaper shavings makes him aware that humans place little value on his life.

Poetry

Poetry symbolizes culture in this story. Poetry is introduced to Christopher by his mother during their games of Nuts and Cheese. Parrot expands Christopher's knowledge of poetry when he relates poems written by his previous owner. Parrot's owner lived...