The Madman · Chapter
The Two Cages explained
In the narrator's father's garden, two cages hold a lion from the desert of Ninavah and a songless sparrow.
What happens
In the narrator's father's garden, two cages hold a lion from the desert of Ninavah and a songless sparrow. Each dawn, the sparrow greets the lion as a fellow prisoner, highlighting their shared captivity despite their differences.
Themes in this chapter
Solitude and Aloneness
Both the lion and the sparrow are caged, isolated from their natural habitats and from each other, yet they share a bond of imprisonment.
Characters to notice
- The Madman
The narrator, observing the lion and sparrow in his father's garden.
Key passages
“Good morrow to thee, brother prisoner.”
The sparrow greets the lion each morning as a fellow captive.
This greeting underscores the theme of shared solitude and the irony of their unequal yet equal imprisonment.