• The play opens and closes with scenes around a table, emphasizing a circular structure.
• In the opening scene, a bird is placed in an air pump as part of a scientific experiment, symbolizing the control humans have over its fate.
• The bird is powerless, and the humans decide its fate, but the experiment fails, allowing the bird to escape.
• Air symbolizes movement and freedom; the experiment is meant to demonstrate the necessity of air for life.
• In the final scene, Isobel lies in a coffin, symbolically equivalent to the bird in the air pump.
• Isobel’s death is also a result of scientific curiosity, with her fate in the hands of those around her, similar to the bird.
• Isobel’s metaphorical air (freedom) is taken away, just as the bird’s air was supposed to be.
• The bird's survival is contrasted with Isobel's death, suggesting a balance of life—one creature survives, while another dies.
• both the bird and isobel are sacrificed in the name of scientific discovery and advancement.

Both the bird and Isobel are positioned as passive subjects in experiments, their fates controlled by others. The air, as a symbol of freedom, works to highlight the loss of autonomy both in the experiment and in Isobel’s death. The circular structure reinforces the idea of balance between life and death, survival and sacrifice.

The Air Pump as Dramatic Symbol and Sign