The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA

Gabriel is the novel’s protagonist. His parents and other adults frequently praise the 12-year-old’s thoughtful, reflective attitude, a trait that helps him serve his function as the story’s narrator. The boy’s curiosity also contributes to his perceptive views on the world. Throughout the novel, he welcomes opportunities to learn, attentively absorbing lessons about vehicle maintenance at his father’s garage and listening attentively to Mrs. Victory’s story about her deceased son. Gabriel’s open-mindedness supports his friendship with Meriwether (the novel’s most important dynamic) because he is receptive to everything the man has to teach him about morality and history.

Another of Gabriel’s key qualities is his strong conscience. Meriwether describes his young friend as “kindhearted and respectful” because he strives to treat people equally regardless of their race (192). The boy’s sense of right and wrong leads to the story’s main person-versus-society conflict. Birdsong is a segregated town, and this injustice provokes Gabriel’s righteous anger. As he says, “Y’all ever figure the ways of the South are wrong? Y’all ever figure the ways of the South need changin’?” (161). Gabriel’s perceptive and open-minded attitude facilitates his role as the narrator, and his innate understanding of right and wrong positions him as a white ally in Woods’s examination of racism.