The Widows of Malabar Hill

Content Warning: This section includes discussions of racism, addiction, abuse, and violence.

Lillian is an Alexandrian parrot and the Mistry family pet. Throughout the novel, she symbolizes female independence or lack thereof. Caged or caught birds are a common literary symbol that represents a lack of freedom. Famously, in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the titular heroine avows her independence from her lover by declaring that she is not a bird but rather a free person with an independent will, including the capacity to leave. While Massey’s depiction of Lillian might first be interpreted similarly, representing how Perveen is “trapped” in the Mistry home, Perveen’s family is loving and supportive, encouraging her to get an education and pursue a career. As a result, she sees her home as a refuge, especially after leaving her abusive and unhappy marriage to Cyrus. Lillian is also free and not confined to her cage. Rather than being trapped, she “stayed outside for hours, sipping water from the birdbath and monitoring the garden for avian intruders” (76). Perveen thinks that “Losing Lillian wasn’t a worry […] like a prodigal daughter, she always returned” (76). The novel thus inverts the traditional bird-in-cage