How are bird and flight imagery used throughout the novel?

Savitha's last words to Poornima are "I'm the one with wings." What do you think she means by that? How are bird and flight imagery used throughout the novel?

A crow, an owl, and a sugar-coated child all are part of Savitha's stories and memories about what made her strong and determined to design her own future. Her father told her, she, was the one with wings because he saw something special in his beloved daughter, perhaps the gift of clarity as Poornima noticed when they first met. But when she spoke those words to Poornima she meant that she would not sit still and let bad things happen without a fight. She knew she could not stay.

For Savitha the crow and the owl both gave her messages. In thinking about them, she knew that she too had wings and did not have to stay and be abused. Her father, in his own way, instilled her with a sense of strength and courage. She used her wings to escape a life of horror, by heading East to New York without any knowledge of the country or the language.

When she shepherds she tells the young girl that planes stay in flight and don’t fall out of the sky like a bird. Later the girl reminds her birds sometimes do fall out of the sky foretelling the trials and falls that these women will be subjected to.

Great symbol of the hope and desire to 'fly away' from the brutality of the lives of Poornima and Savitha.

The idea of flight is pretty clearly related to the story but I think that the specific birds, the owl and the crow, have another layer of meaning. Owls have long been used as symbols of wisdom and learning and, certainly, Poornima was portrayed as understanding that learning was the key to freedom. The crow is a bird which is extremely good at problem-solving and both girls were constantly involved in doing just this.

Good point ritah.

Love ritah insights into the two birds.

Birds are free but many times caged. The women were caged by their circumstances, but their spirits were free to move past their current situations.

I agree with ritah that the particular birds were significant. In many rural cultures the crow is a trickster that is not controlled by other animals and birds. They are smart and resourceful. The owl can also be a foreshadow of death or disaster. The girls both had need of wisdom and the ability to spring free from daily restraints. Characteristics both birds symbolize in many cultures.