12. Paragraphs 31-32

Explanation:

After discovering that the man had come from the prison, Mr Purcell wiped the sweat from his eyebrows. Mr Purcell later thought that he had to advise the man for the well being of doves. So he said that he would tell him how to feed and care for the doves.

But the man, on the other hand, refused to listen to Mr Purcell's advice. He said, "Bah!" The term "Bah" meant that an expression of anger or disapproval. It suggested that the man did not like to hear anything from the storekeeper. Later the man moved slowly out from the shop with his caged birds. Mr Purcell, on the other hand, took a deep breath and felt a sense of relaxation. The reason behind the statement was Mr Purcell wished that the man should go out of his shop because he realised that the man had come from the prison and felt things strangely occurring when he stepped inside the shop.

Later, Mr Purcell strolled with his fat body near the window and peered out. When he looked at his strange customer, he noticed that he had stopped walking. The weird man peered at the pair of doves he got from the pet shop while holding the cage shoulder-high. The man then unlocked the cage and reached inside, pulling one of the doves out. He flung it up in the air. He took the second out of the cage and tossed it after the first.

 

 

The two doves drifted in the breeze like fluffy balls when he released them from their cage. It suggested that the two birds flying through the sky resembled woollen balls. After sometimes the birds eventually faded into the wintry city's gloomy grey. The man remained still for a few moments, gazing up at the two birds in the sky. He threw the cage away when he saw the birds soaring freely in the skies. Later he put his hand inside his pocket, bowed his head, and walked away.

 

On the other hand, the merchant's face furrowed in puzzlement. The merchant had agreed to sell them to him at a reduced price because the customer desired it. But on the other hand, what the man did was liberated the birds from the cage. In addition, Mr Purcell was shocked to see the man's behaviour. Mr Purcell mumbled under his breath, "did he do that?" He had no idea why he had abandoned them. Finally, Mr Purcell was offended by the stranger's behaviour. He was humiliated since he had sold the doves for a low price, yet the man had set them free.
 
Through the lesson "I Want Something in a Cage", the narrator tends to tell his readers that the man had lost his ten years in prison without freedom. While he saw the caged birds in the shop, he felt himself in place of them. He had only five dollars, so he bought a pair of doves and let them fly happily in the sky. Here the man's freedom has been compared to the bird's freedom. But the storekeeper was unaware that the pets in his shop were screaming and screeching for freedom. He thought of himself as a professional and held the pets freedom inside the gilded cage. Also, the storekeeper was only concerned about the profit he would earn after selling the pets. The strange act of the customer made him feel insulted. It implies that the man had worked hard in prison, and he spent the earned amount for buying birds and letting them free. But on the other hand, the storekeeper only desired to make a profit. Finally, the storekeeper realised his insignificance and felt vaguely insulted.

 

Meanings of the difficult words: