A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home

The gentle, lonely, and self-critical Joseph is one of Celeste’s closest friends and the novel’s most prominent human character. The narrator offers the following description of the boy when Celeste first sees him in Chapter 3: “His hair was the color of a chestnut, and his face was smooth. His eyes were wide and pale blue; Celeste noticed something melancholy in them” (27). Joseph begins traveling with Audubon at age 13, and he is 15 during the story’s events. These two years away from home are largely responsible for the melancholy Celeste senses in him. Joseph’s loneliness makes him and the protagonist kindred spirits and fast friends. The boy shows her kindness from their first meeting in Chapter 8, and the mouse comes to cherish the tenderhearted boy as a companion and protector: “Celeste burrowed between his palms and wriggled rapturously, relishing the warmth and safety of his gentle hands” (225). Although Celeste admires her friend’s art, Joseph doesn’t think his work measures up to Audubon’s expectations. The frustrated boy often berates himself when he draws: “‘No! Not right!’ he would mutter. ‘Awful! The veins in this leaf are all wrong!’” (94). Although Joseph is gentle towards Celeste and others, the lonely boy struggles to extend that kindness to himself.

Joseph becomes the first friend that Celeste meets after leaving her home under the floorboards, advancing the protagonist’s characterization and the novel’s themes. He illustrates The Importance of Friendship by confiding to Celeste that his life as Audubon’s apprentice makes him feel “lonely enough to talk to a mouse” (82). Although far from home himself, Joseph comes to represent home for Celeste. He cares for her physical needs by providing her with food and protection from the cat as well as her emotional needs by giving her a sense of belonging. During her time with him, Celeste becomes more outgoing and confident. For example, she ventures outside for the first time in months thanks to him. His departure forces Celeste to capitalize on her growth over the course of the novel by looking after herself. Joseph also contributes to the theme of The Relationship Between Art and Nature. The tenderhearted boy reveres the beauty of nature and has great empathy for animals. As a result, he is troubled by Audubon’s methods of painting birds and asks him in Chapter 15, “You are looking to capture its life on paper, but by killing it first? By pinning it to a board?” (144). In another milestone for the theme, the young artist later experiences for himself how inspiring it can be to work with a live subject thanks to Cornelius’s song. Joseph promotes the main character’s growth and develops the major themes.

The accomplished, demanding, and proud Audubon appears as a supporting character in the novel. The narrator describes the famed artist and naturalist as a “tall, imposing figure” with a “thick shank of auburn hair hanging to his shoulders” (260). The man’s ambitions are as towering as his height. He explains his aspirations to the Pirrie family, who own the plantation: “It is my intent to paint the portraits of every single species of bird in North America. And to paint the birds in their natural surroundings, and as lifelike as possible” (26). In addition to having lofty ambitions for himself, he has high expectations for his pupils. For example, Joseph bemoans to Celeste that Audubon expects perfection from his apprentice’s artwork, and Audubon is similarly critical of Eliza during her dance lessons. When his standards are met, the proud painter gives himself the credit. Looking at Joseph’s painting of the wood thrush, he praises himself as well as the boy, “I see my instruction has inspired you. This is beautiful” (230). The artist’s accomplishments make him a proud and demanding figure.

Although the protagonist’s interactions with Audubon are limited, he helps to establish the novel’s premise and message. Historically, John James Audubon spent about four months at Oakley Plantation near New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1821. In Cole’s novel, the artist’s arrival at the plantation sets much of the plot into motion. For example, he indirectly shapes the themes of home and friendship by bringing Joseph there. Audubon plays a key role in The Relationship Between Art and Nature. He kills the birds he paints and pins their bodies into dynamic poses rather than using live subjects because a “caged bird will sit like a caged bird” (145). He believes that his mission of immortalizing the beauty of North America’s bird species in his paintings justifies his methods. However, Celeste adamantly disagrees, and this creates one of the novel’s main tensions. To save her avian friends, the mouse is determined to teach the painter that he can find inspiration without the sacrifice of animals’ lives. During his argument with Joseph in Chapter 15, Audubon claims, “If I could paint their portraits as well another way, I would” (146). While the narrative doesn’t address whether the experience of painting the osprey leads to lasting changes in Audubon’s behavior, Celeste succeeds in showing the artist that there is indeed another way. Audubon situates the novel in its historical context and allows the author to explore the relationship between art and nature.

The curious, inspirational, and thoughtful Cornelius is one of the first supporting characters that Celeste befriends. The wood thrush’s eye-catching “yellow bill and soft, creamy white breast feathers spotted with dark brown” draw Joseph’s attention (152). Celeste and Cornelius meet because Audubon’s apprentice decides to paint the bird and cages him in his room. The thrush quickly establishes his worthiness as a friend because he cares about Celeste and her past even though he has every reason to be worried about himself: “[H]is eyes were clear and thoughtful. Celeste could see that even though trapped in a cage, Cornelius was interested in his new friend” (158). His questions about the mouse and how she came to live at the plantation show an inquisitive mind. Another of Cornelius’s positive traits is his ability to inspire others. His beautiful song, which is described as “a mixture of sweetness and melancholy” (227), moves Joseph to paint a portrait so excellent that even Audubon praises its perfection. Additionally, Cornelius is a thoughtful character who remembers Celeste’s kindness towards him and seeks to repay his rescuer. Knowing that the mouse will be lonely in the winter but unable to resist his instincts to migrate, the thrush asks Violet to stay with her. Cornelius proves himself to be a thoughtful, curious, and inspiring friend.

Cornelius’s friendship with Celeste advances the themes and the protagonist’s characterization. In Chapter 16, his questions allow the author to delve into Celese’s tragic backstory and how her Search for Home began. The bird’s request for dogwood berries leads to some of the main character’s greatest adventures, such as the thunderstorm and the flight in the gondola. The berries themselves serve as a symbol of friendship, and the lengths that Celeste goes to in order to gather them develop the theme of The Importance of Friendship. The thrush isn’t present for the happy ending, but he facilitates it by sending Violet to Celeste: “‘[H]e said you might like having a friend around this winter,’ said the wren” (334). In addition, Cornelius contributes to The Relationship Between Art and Nature. The scene in which Celeste coaches him to inspire Joseph serves as a rehearsal for the scene with Lafayette and Audubon. Although Cornelius appears in only three chapters, he develops the main character and the major themes.

The altruistic, jovial, and majestic Lafayette is another supporting character and one of Celeste’s most important allies. Although he is a bird of prey, his appearance reflects his kind temperament: “He had huge, golden yellow eyes that twinkled and a sharp beak that smiled. His wing feathers were dark brown, his chest creamy white with tawny streaks and spots” (193). His majestic appearance also explains why Audubon selects him as a subject for a painting. Lafayette and Celeste first meet when the bird sees if the lost and bedraggled mouse needs help after the storm: “I looked down and I said to myself I said, ‘Self, now, that looks like somebody in trouble; that’s what I think. I need to go check on that one, like any good osprey would do’” (193). In a further display of altruism, he agrees to carry Celeste back home to Oakley Plantation. The jovial bird frequently makes jokes that rely on dialect, and he calls his friend an array of endearments, such as “honey pie” and “sugar plum” (193). Even during his captivity, Lafayette’s good humor and majesty endure. For example, the impressed Audubon praises his spirit and poise. Lafayette is both a regal bird of prey and a helpful, affable friend.

As one of Celeste’s most trusted friends, the osprey plays a key role in the plot and themes. He moves the story along by bringing the protagonist back home after the storm carries her miles from the plantation. The flight, which Celeste calls “the most wonderful time [she’s] ever had” (219), changes how she sees herself and the world by giving her greater confidence and a broader perspective. In addition, Lafayette provides comic relief through his cheerful and verbose dialogue, such as when he chatters on about his distant relatives while Celeste concocts her plan to weave the gondola. The osprey’s capture also adds suspense to the plot. The audience knows what usually befalls Audubon’s avian subjects and wonders if the kindly osprey will share this fate. Celeste and Lafayette both save one another, demonstrating The Importance of Friendship. The osprey also develops the theme of The Relationship Between Art and Nature because he helps Audubon see how inspirational painting a live subject can be. The raptor’s bold pose fills the artist with rapture: “‘Mon Dieu!’ Audubon gasped, staring at the osprey. ‘C’est ça! Parfait! Toi! Le beau spécimen! You are magnificent!’” (271). This experience offers hope that Audubon will be more open to sparing his subjects’ lives in the future. Lastly, Lafayette helps to secure Celeste’s happy ending when he gives Trixie a ride in the gondola and inadvertently helps to eliminate the antagonist. Although he is a minor character, Lafayette is essential to several key plot points and the story’s major themes.