The Aviary

The aviary is a sanctuary for Mr. Glendoveer's five birds that live in an enormous black iron cage in the Glendoveer's rear rose garden. The cage is quite large. Clara describes it as being as large as her bedroom. While the aviary is quite large, it is positioned against the back wall of the garden under a pergola with a tattered roof. When storms come, as they often do in the seaport town, Clara and Ruby must rush to cover the aviary and its contents to protect it from wind and rain. Rarely does anyone except for Ruby venture inside the aviary.

The aviary is representative of several things in the story. First and foremost, it is a type of prison for the five Glendoveer children that have been turned into birds until Elliot has returned. The children are trapped inside the birds' bodies as...