55 pages • 1-hour read
The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism.
Eyes
In Woods’s novel, the image of eyes is frequently employed to symbolize empathy. The narrator introduces this symbol in the opening sentence, stating, “One funny thing about life and all the stuff that happens while you’re living it is that mostly you only see it through your own eyes, that is, unless you decide to try to see things through the eyes of someone else” (1). The symbol connects to The Power of Mentorship and Intergenerational Friendship because the importance of “seeing life through more eyes than just the two on [his] face” is one of the most meaningful lessons that Meriwether teaches Gabriel (1).
Woods also uses the image of eyes to develop the novel’s central characters and their bond. For example, Meriwether shows perspective and resilience when he uses the symbol of eyes to explain why he doesn’t worry about not having a car:
I’m just one of many in South Carolina—in the whole of these United States, for that matter—who don’t have an automobile, and for now that bicycle gets me where I need to go. But when I look at it through four eyes—my two plus your two—I can be both content and have hope. That’s why four eyes are usually better than two (95).
This excerpt helps Gabriel to see the benefit of considering the world from other people’s points of view, and he applies this lesson at the end of the novel when he states, “I stood there and imagined myself peering through Meriwether’s eyes and realized he was heading off to what he hoped would be a better place with a better future” (194). Gabriel’s ability to be happy for the Hunters even as he cries over having to say goodbye to his friend demonstrates that he has matured greatly over the course of the novel. By beginning and ending the novel with a lesson that Meriwether taught Gabriel, the author emphasizes that their friendship has forever changed the way the protagonist sees the world. The symbol of eyes brings the story full circle and illustrates the importance of empathy in a novel about forging friendships across racial differences.
Meriwether’s Photograph
Meriwether’s photograph of the members of the 761st Tank Battalion serves as a motif of The Erasure of Black Contributions Versus the Fight for Recognition. The “black-and-white snapshot” depicts “[f]ive smiling colored soldiers in uniform” beside the M4 Sherman tank they drove during World War II (151). The photograph connects to the theme of erasure because it stays hidden in Meriwether’s wallet for most of the novel, just as Black veterans’ service is concealed because “[w]earin’ a uniform ma[kes] ’em sittin’ ducks, and displayin’ medals [i]s much the same as wearin’ a bull’s-eye” (145). In a key moment, Meriwether shows the photograph to Gabriel in Chapter 26. This small but courageous act testifies to the deep trust between the two characters, defies the prejudice that seeks to erase Black contributions, and honors the deuteragonist’s brothers-in-arms, especially those who gave their lives in the war.
Structurally, the photograph also influences the novel’s climax and resolution. Meriwether loses the photograph when he hastily hides it from Patrick, and its discovery by Lucas reveals Meriwether’s military service, intensifying the antagonist’s hatred toward him. The racist man turns the snapshot into a weapon and a motif of erasure by putting it in the box with the venomous snake that he leaves on the Hunters’ porch. Woods expressly links the photograph to the theme through Gabriel’s reflection on Lucas’s attempt to murder Abigail; the boy muses, “Was it because of the picture and finding out about Meriwether being a tanker that had made Lucas do it, or had he been planning this all along?” (161). In addition, the photo foreshadows the Hunters’ move to Michigan because one of the men in the picture is Charlie Denton, who is “[a]lways after [Meriwether] to join him” up North (152). This detail suggests that an important part of the fight for recognition is finding places of safety that make it possible to continue resisting. The photograph illustrates both racist efforts to erase Black contributions and courageous efforts to fight for recognition.
The Chevy
The black 1936 Chevy functions as a motif of Exercising Privilege Responsibly. To Jake, the vehicle is a “heapa junk” that is good for little more than scrap metal (127), but it proves to be life-changing for Meriwether, who has struggled to find consistent employment and financial stability due to the rampant racism in the United States. His expression of gratitude carries volumes of deeper meaning when he says, “Y’all will never know what this means to me. Thanks again” (147). As a relatively privileged white business owner, Jake makes it a point to exercise his privilege responsibly by recognizing that he can afford to give the car away.
Because Jake understands Meriwether’s needs and rewards his skills and efforts, the presence of the Chevy in the narrative provides character development for both men. Repairing a broken vehicle that no one else has managed to start represents Meriwether’s greatest display of his unmatched mechanical aptitude, which he developed during his time in the 761st Tank Battalion. In this light, the car becomes a motif of exercising privilege responsibly because it gives Woods several opportunities to depict Jake as an ally to the novel’s Black characters and as a strong role model to Gabriel. Near the end of the novel, Jake’s commitment to getting Meriwether the title and registration papers before the Hunter family leaves town reflects his desire to help them start new lives somewhere they will be accepted. During the resolution, the Chevy facilitates the Hunter family’s escape to their new and hopefully more inclusive home in Michigan, further emphasizing the good that people can do when they exercise their privilege responsibly.
Unlock the meaning behind every key symbol & motif
See how recurring imagery, objects, and ideas shape the narrative.
- Explore how the author builds meaning through symbolism
- Understand what symbols & motifs represent in the text
- Connect recurring ideas to themes, characters, and events