In the story, the old man treats his favourite pigeon like his granddaughter. He would pretend to let loose of the pigeon and when it is about to fly, he would grabbed it back quickly and put it back into the cage and saying now you stay there'. This sort of symbolises the old man is not letting go of his granddaughter and as his granddaughter is trying to fly away from her home. At the end of the story, when the old man finaly agrees to let go of his granddaughter, he took out his favourite pigeon from the cage and let it fly away. This
symbolised that he had learned to let go of his beloved granddaughter and is letting the young to take its first flight into the real world.