Seventy-Two Derwents

by

Cate Kennedy

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Seventy-Two Derwents makes teaching easy.

Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies Symbol Analysis

Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies Symbol Icon

Tyler’s interest in Mrs Carlyle’s pet budgies reflects her broader hope to find loving relationships with other people. Since Tyler is so fascinated by the birds, Mrs Carlyle promises to give her a chick should the adult female bird lay eggs. Tyler is enamored of the idea of raising a bird of her own, reflecting her hope to one day be able to nurture something on her own terms. Furthermore, after Mrs Carlyle tells her she’s reported the contents of Tyler’s journal to the authorities and offers to take her home, Tyler immediately asks to go to Mrs Carlyle’s house instead, to visit the aviary.

At the end of their conversation about Tyler’s family circumstances, Tyler asks, seemingly out of nowhere, if the mother budgie would bite her if she put her hand in the nest; Mrs Carlyle confirms this, but is visibly sad as she does so. At a moment in which her own family situation seems more insecure than ever, Tyler finds hope and safety in the birds’ ability to care for their offspring, and seems to wish she could play a role in that process by putting her hand in the nest. Mrs Carlyle’s sadness in confirming that the mother would bite her shows that she recognizes the tragedy in the fact that Tyler’s circumstances don’t allow her to experience healthy, loving relationships in own family, and that she senses the intensity of Tyler’s desire to build this sort of relationship.

Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies Quotes in Seventy-Two Derwents

The Seventy-Two Derwents quotes below all refer to the symbol of Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Relationships and Intimacy Theme Icon
).
Seventy-Two Derwents Quotes

Mrs Carlyle has two budgies, a boy and a girl, and they have built a nest. If they have baby budgies and if I’m allowed she will give me one. You have to wait until they’re old enough to leave the nest before you can take them away from their parents because they need special looking after. In my mind I can picture this ... after she says this, when I walk back into class and down to my desk, I feel my skin buzzing like someone stroked it.

Related Characters: Tyler (speaker), Mrs Carlyle
Related Symbols: Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies
Page Number: 225-6
Explanation and Analysis:

I said if I put my hand into the nest now would the mother bird bite me? And she looked so sad at me and nodded. We fed the birds and then she drove me back to the mall.

Related Characters: Tyler (speaker), Mrs Carlyle
Related Symbols: Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:

If your budgie’s eggs hatch please will you call one of the babies Alicia. One day I will get an aviary and then I will come and get her, Mrs Carlyle. That’s my promise.

Related Characters: Tyler (speaker), Mrs Carlyle
Related Symbols: Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies
Page Number: 263-4
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies Symbol Timeline in Seventy-Two Derwents

The timeline below shows where the symbol Mrs Carlyle’s Budgies appears in Seventy-Two Derwents. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Seventy-Two Derwents
Relationships and Intimacy Theme Icon
Escape Theme Icon
Mrs Carlyle tells Tyler about her two pet budgies. She promises that if they ever lay eggs, she will give one of their babies... (full context)
Relationships and Intimacy Theme Icon
Escape Theme Icon
Tyler writes that, if Mrs Carlyle does give her one of the baby budgies, she will name it Alicia, and she imagines trying to teach the bird to say... (full context)
Relationships and Intimacy Theme Icon
Power and Powerlessness Theme Icon
Repression Theme Icon
Trust Theme Icon
Escape Theme Icon
...her home, but Tyler asks to go to Mrs Carlyle’s house to see her pet budgies. (full context)
Relationships and Intimacy Theme Icon
Power and Powerlessness Theme Icon
Repression Theme Icon
Trust Theme Icon
Escape Theme Icon
Mrs Carlyle shows Tyler her aviary, adding that the mother bird has laid eggs, and that she still intends to give one to Tyler. Mrs Carlyle... (full context)
Relationships and Intimacy Theme Icon
Power and Powerlessness Theme Icon
Repression Theme Icon
Trust Theme Icon
Escape Theme Icon
...to put the diary in Mrs Carlyle’s mailbox, and asks Mrs Carlyle to keep a baby bird for her. (full context)