The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA

Through Gabriel’s and Jake’s character arcs, Woods demonstrates what white allyship and anti-racism can achieve. The novel addresses socioeconomic factors as well as racial ones, broadening the story’s examination of privilege and the positive impact that it can have when exercised responsibly.

Gabriel recognizing his privilege and finding positive ways to use it are integral to his growth. Early in the novel, he convinces Jake to hire Meriwether, and he repeatedly tells his father that he should fire the racist Lucas. While these business decisions are out of the 12-year-old’s hands, he tries to act as a buffer between his friend and the antagonist because he hopes that “with the boss’s son nearby, Lucas wouldn’t likely start any mess” (82). The phrasing of this excerpt makes it clear that Gabriel consciously leverages his racial and socioeconomic privileges to help Meriwether.

In addition, Gabriel’s modeling helps Patrick become more empathetic toward Black people. Even though prejudice often goes unchallenged in the segregated town of Birdsong, the protagonist confronts his best friend’s discriminatory language and rejects Patrick’s attempt to hide behind the bandwagon fallacy. As the narrative states, “Patrick defended himself. ‘You don’ havta get all mad, Gabriel. Colored men are uncles and colored ladies are aunties. That’s what a lot of the white folks around here call ’em’” (87). However, Gabriel stoutly retorts, “I don’t” (87). Gradually, his consistent example shifts Patrick’s perspective about Black people, as evidenced by the respectful way that Patrick addresses Meriwether near the resolution, when he says, “Bye, Mr. Meriwether Hunter” (179). Over the course of the novel, Gabriel shows growth by exercising his own privilege responsibly and by motivating his white friends and family members to do the same.

Just as Gabriel takes it upon himself to help Meriwether and educate his peer, Jake’s behavior offers Gabriel (and, by extension, Woods’s young readers) a positive example of an adult who exercises privilege responsibly. As a character, Jake furthers one of the novel’s main messages and shapes both the protagonist and the story’s structure. Gabriel’s father believes that he has a moral duty to use his privilege to help others, and he seeks to instill this value in his son as well. As he tells the boy, “I say this: treat all folks, regardless of color, with courtesy and respect. And be as good a person as you can be. Simple as that” (50).

However, Gabriel and his parents’ beliefs and actions starkly contrast with other adult characters who take their privilege for granted, such as the affluent and reckless Betty, who treats Meriwether “as if the man were invisible” (16). Likewise, the Haberlins are foils to the openly hostile Lucas, who actively humiliates and persecutes Meriwether and his family. Even before the main events of the story, Jake’s business stands apart from most in Birdsong because it is listed in The Green Book, a clear signal that he is a trusted ally to the Black community. Meriwether’s entrance into the Haberlins’ lives gives Jake a particularly important opportunity to practice what he preaches. Although the veteran’s employment at the garage is brief, Meriwether is deeply moved by the financial security and emotional support that Jake offers him, saying, “Y’all will never know what this means to me. Thanks again” (147).

During the novel’s falling action, Jake shields Meriwether from the sheriff’s prejudice because he understands that the town’s law enforcement cannot be trusted to treat Black and white people equally, and the Chevy that Jake gives the Hunters enables them to escape from Birdsong. Like his son, Jake holds onto hope for a more equitable and just future, and he takes concrete steps to turn this dream into a reality by exercising his privilege responsibly.