Birdy Morris

Character Analysis

Birdy is the old man who comes to do the mowing for Polly Ann every year, and for most of Tom's boyhood, he seems to be the closest thing Tom has to a friend and a father-figure. Birdy provides Tom with much of the construction knowledge and practical help he needs to build his barn.

Birdy and the Beasts

Birdy has a simple life, and he seems to be more at ease living alone on his small, run-down farm with his few animals than he is in the social world with other men. There are some qualities that position him as an outsider: he's poor, he's old, he has no family (or at least there's no mention of living family members nearby), and he has a physical deformity—a humped shoulder from being dropped as a baby.

None of these things makes Birdy an unhappy man, but they make him the kind of guy who's more comfortable out in the natural world than in town. It's super appropriate, then, that Tom often likens Birdy to animals (hop over to our "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory" section for more on that). Hey, even Birdy's name evokes nature.

Boss Birdy

Birdy may be a sort of father-figure, but there are many conventional masculine roles that Birdy never fulfills. For instance, he's not a financial provider and he's never a biological father. However, Birdy's got mad skills when it comes to resourcefulness and construction, and he represents the kind of wisdom passed down through time, which values sound quality and technique over the flashy appeal of novelty.

We see emphasis on this kind of wisdom several times, like in comments Birdy makes about the snowshoes he gives Tom, about secondhand tools, and about the barn itself. For instance, when observing the barn on Tom's property near the end of the novel, Birdy remarks, "It was better than a new barn would be, having the frame from Bert Breen's barn" (57.2). When it comes to Birdy, there's a "they don't make 'em like this anymore" mentality to his knowledge and skill.

And there must be some accuracy to that mentality, because Tom benefits a great deal from Birdy's knowledge, often letting him take the lead. For instance, on the first day of work taking down the Breen barn, Tom "watched Birdy prying off the bottom course of shingles and followed suit" (38.16). Though Tom starts to get the hang of it, he feels he'll never be "the same as Birdy" (38.18). Other men also recognize Birdy's capabilities, which is never more obvious than when they single him out as "boss material" to lead the barn-raising (46.18).

Birdy and Tom

Birdy is often the first person Tom goes to for advice. When Tom first gets the idea of improving his family's life, he seeks out Birdy. Even though Tom is only eight at the time, Birdy treats Tom and his idea with respect. Birdy is the one who first tells Tom about the Breen barn, and he is the one who takes him up to see the barn. When Tom finally buys the barn, he goes right to Birdy (after sharing the good news with Polly Ann) to make a plan for moving it and rebuilding it.

Birdy doesn't exactly have the traditional father-figure vibe (take a peek at our character analysis of George Hook for more on that). Instead, Birdy's kind of like a Gandalf or Dumbledore type. He brings wisdom and guidance to the table, but he's also got that elusive old-man quality, which suggests that he operates in more of an ethereal plane than a practical, material one.

Nevertheless, Birdy shows some father-like qualities in his interactions with Tom. Birdy helps Tom solve problems. He gives him snowshoes for Christmas after a scary walk home in the snow. Birdy sacrifices for Tom, even neglecting the upkeep of his few belongings to help out. For example, after the barn-raising, Tom notes that one of Birdy's wagon wheels is squeaking as he drives away. Tom observes, "he had never known Birdy to let an axel go dry" (48.16), which underscores how preoccupied Birdy has been helping Tom with his barn. But Birdy doesn't mind, and takes pride in seeing the boy succeed.

The good vibes go both ways: Tom has a positive impact on Birdy, too, giving the older dude friendship, purpose, and happiness. Watching Birdy working on the barn, he thinks it "must have been about the happiest time in Birdy's life" (43.2). Plus, even though Tom needs prompting from Billy-Bob Baxter to set up a savings account for Birdy (skip over to our analysis of Tom for discussion on what that says about Tom's character), the exchange has the feel of a son wanting to care for an aging father-figure.

Birdy the Tearjerker

Many of the most poignant moments in the novel come in Tom's observations of Birdy. Here are just a couple:

[Tom] didn't think it would matter to Birdy but he was glad on Christmas day when Birdy opened them with his brown stubby fingers, taking pains not to tear the paper or break the pieces of colored wool Polly Ann had used for ribbons. He folded the paper carefully and put it to one side for Polly Ann to use again if she was so minded, but the wool he wound in little circles just as carefully and put them in his pocket. (18.9)

Cute, huh? Birdy's careful way of opening his present, his attention to detail, and his pains not to waste anything are all extremely endearing in this scene.

Here's another:

[Polly Ann] paused to look at Birdy shoving the lemon pie into his mouth, and he grinned and lifted his fork in salute, leaving a small daub of white on his forehead. (40.30)

At this picnic, we learn that lemon pie is Birdy's favorite. We get a glimpse at his playfulness in the goofy pie salute that leaves him sticky. It's like a milk mustaches, but on an old guy who's good at raising barns. Don't see that combo every day.

These kinds of tender observations are not as frequent with other characters. Something about Birdy's character just lends itself to these touching, almost philosophical observations.