How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Tendai, somewhat regretfully, closed the bird cage and put it into a closet. Well, the mynah was free now, and it hadn't even looked back. (2.87)
Just like the mynah Tendai frees, Tendai wants to fly free from the cage. He can almost feel the wind beneath his wings. It's not until he releases the bird that it dawns on Tendai that the mynah's been trapped this entire time, just like he has. For more on this feathered friend, swing by the "Symbols" section.
Quote #5
It was Tendai's turn to stare into the distance and think. What would it be like to go outside the way everyone else did and fly—all alone, without bodyguards or the police or Father — to a magical place none of them had seen before? As he thought, the warm, excited feeling he had had that morning returned. (3.71)
We'd like to point out that Tendai feels excited and warm at the prospect of his freedom. It seems like something he's been waiting for his whole life. And fears of what the world might have in store for him are far away, and his understanding of freedom is full of idealistic hope. That's what makes it so exciting.
Quote #6
He realized he was happy, and he hadn't known he was sad before. He liked the noise and the smells, both good and bad, and the faces, both innocent and crafty. He liked being surrounded by people. He liked them in all their shapes and dispositions simply because they were people and not machines. (4.65)
When he goes outside, Tendai figures out what this new feeling is: happiness. He didn't feel depressed before, but now he knows that he wasn't exactly happy at home, either. It isn't until he's free in the world to do what he wants that he feels cheerful.