Strawberry Girl

Jefferson Davis Slater is a young boy who is shunned by society because of his father’s frightening reputation. Throughout the novel, he is mostly referred to by his nickname: Shoestring. Shoestring doesn’t go to school like the other kids do because his father believes he’s better off spending his days hunting. But for Shoestring, this results in social ostracization, loneliness, and shame.

Shoestring is Birdie’s first friend. He takes an instant liking to Birdie, even though their friendship is quickly challenged by the animosity between their fathers. Shoestring is the foreshadower of this tension. He “looks at [Birdie] earnestly. ‘I want to tell you somethin’. Do your Pa fence his fields in, my Pa will make trouble for him. I jest want you to know, that’s all’” (26). Shoestring warns Birdie about his father because he is genuinely concerned about her. Shoestring also positions himself as someone who doesn’t agree with his father’s way of handling conflict, thus proving that Shoestring doesn’t deserve to be judged for his father’s actions.

Shoestring is adventurous, but he doesn’t know how to work hard at making land or animals successful. He learns to hunt from his father but resents the Boyers for their success in farming land he has been raised to believe is fruitless. Shoestring grows as a character due to Birdie’s influence. He is inspired by her work ethic and belief in the land, motivated by her friendship to be kinder, and even ends up enrolling in school. Shoestring is an important character because he represents the power of not giving up on other people.

Mr. Boyer is Birdie’s father. He is intelligent, kind, generous, and loving. He values his land, animals, family, and community. Mr. Boyer leads with his moral code. When he first starts having problems with Mr. Slater, he gives him the benefit of the doubt and confronts the issue of Mr. Slater’s animals in a jovial manner. But Mr. Boyer is also not a man who can be intimidated. He protects his crops, which are his family’s livelihood, by fighting back. Mr. Boyer loses his patience with the Slaters and contributes to the escalation of their tension. Mr. Boyer engages in a tit-for-tat dynamic with Mr. Slater that becomes a troubling back-and-forth of violence and damage. Although Mr. Boyer is kind and affectionate with his children, he believes in discipline and shockingly gives Shoestring a beating for not looking after his animals. Even though it’s not Shoestring’s fault that he doesn’t know how to take care of his animals, Birdie “knew how much her father loved animals and insisted on proper care and feed for them – even if they were not his own” (131). Mr. Boyer is passionate and works hard to make his family successful, but his conflict with Mr. Slater creates conflict for Birdie as well. Mr. Boyer and Mr. Slater make amends when Mr. Slater quits drinking and finds religion, highlighting that Mr. Boyer is empathetic and forgiving. Mr. Boyer is also religious and appreciates Mr. Slater’s transformation. Another crucial element to Mr. Boyer’s character development is that he is the one who understands the reality of change in Florida. Mr. Boyer knows that Florida will soon become more institutionalized and industrialized, and that the very nature of rural farm life will change. Mr. Boyer is entrepreneurial and thinks of the future, as evidenced by his strawberry business and his investment in icebox travel. Mr. Boyer represents Florida’s future.

Mrs. Boyer is Birdie’s mother. She is a character who exudes constant kindness and compassion. While the men fight bitterly over land and animals, Mrs. Boyer uses her mind and heart to maintain what peace she can. She demonstrates that the Boyers can protect their land using their intelligence when she sprinkles the crops with flour, making Mr. Slater worry that she’s left poison out for his animals. Mrs. Boyer appreciates that conflict must be dealt with directly, but she also doesn’t allow conflict to determine how she treats people. Even at the height of her husband’s feud with Mr. Slater, Mrs. Boyer is kind and generous to Mrs. Slater and her children. Mrs. Boyer always lets them take what they need, and she looks after Mrs. Slater when she falls deathly ill: “All that first night and for several more, Mrs. Boyer stayed up, caring for the sick woman and her children” (171). Mrs. Boyer puts her own family aside to help care for Mrs. Slater, an empathy that saves Mrs. Slater’s life. What’s more, Mrs. Boyer influences Mrs. Slater to read the Bible. When Mr. Slater discovers that Mrs. Boyer has saved his wife’s life, he forgives the Boyers for their role in the feud and decides to be kinder. Therefore, Mrs. Boyer is a character who heavily influences character development, plot, and theme.