Symbolism of the Little Bird

Although I've seen the old black-and-white version of "12 Angry Men," I really enjoyed the new rendition of "12." It contained a numerous amount of ideas and symbols that represented different cultural or social views that are comparable to ethics, ideas, or everyday life.

One symbol that was apparent in the film was a little bird that flew in from a momentarily opened window. If the viewer wasn't looking for any symbolism in the film, they probably wouldn't have noticed anything other than a poor bird stuck in a room, but the poor creature offered a symbolism that reiterated the point of the movie.

The bird, like the boy, was stuck in a situation beyond its control. It hadn't done anything bad or wrong to get itself trapped, yet there it was in a terrible predicament. Similarly, the boy had done nothing wrong, yet he was facing life in prison. He knew his way out, but no one would listen to his cry for help. The little bird would tweet desperately to get out of the room, but obviously no one spoke bird!

At the end of the film, the twelve men decide to set the boy free of his charges because they find that he's not guilty. After everyone leaves the dark auditorium, the man who first gave the boy a chance returns to the room and realizes that the poor bird is still stuck. He opens a window and gives the bird a choice: it can remain a prisoner in the dark auditorium, or it can simply fly to the window and be free. This gives a powerful message to the audience. It shows that having the chance to choose gives ultimate freedom.

There were many interesting themes in "12," and the bird analogy gave a perfect example of symbolism.