The white bird is an important symbol in the book. As the title of the book, it is derived from the poetry of Jewish American poet, Muriel Rukeyser. The specific excerpt appears in the epigraph of the book. The image of the white bird itself makes multiple appearances throughout the book and symbolizes different things in each context, with the common underlying idea being that of freedom.

The white bird first makes an appearance in the game Sara plays with her Papa; it makes a similar appearance at the scene of Julien’s death, as he appears to lift off from the ground just as Sara does in the game, as he dies. In this context, the white bird serves as a symbol for freedom: in Sara’s case, the freedom of childhood; in Julien’s case, the freedom from worldly and bodily constraints.

The bird also appears in instances where Sara daydreams or doodles in her sketchbook. Besides appearing as a character in her sketches, the white bird is depicted as flying out the window even as Sara is hiding in the barn. Here, the bird symbolizes Sara’s imagination, which is free to roam even when she is not.