Strawberry Girl

Birdie Boyer is the central protagonist of the novel. The novel is titled after her, as she gets the nickname of Strawberry Girl for her dedication to her family’s strawberry crop.

Birdie is a young girl who loves her family, respects rural farm life, honors animals and land, and wants others to accept her. She is first characterized by her generosity and compassion. When she first meets the two younger Slater daughters and sees the conditions of their poverty, Birdie immediately helps them without imparting judgment: “The two little girls sat down on the top step. Birdie began to comb out their short, straggly hair. Combed smooth, it looked soft and pretty, curling up at the ends. In the bright sunshine, it shone like warm, glistening silver. Birdie brought the washbasin and washed their thin, pale faces” (10). Birdie’s kindness to Essie and Zephy is representative of her helpful and generous personality. This quote also emphasizes that with someone like Birdie around, other people can grow, dazzle, and be well. It takes nothing for Birdie to help out Essie and Zephy, therefore making Birdie a character emblematic of Lenski’s message that community and helping other people are important.