The Good Lord Bird

Early in the novel, Brown and Fred tell Henry that the feather of the Good Lord Bird is good luck. Fred is killed after shooting a Good Lord Bird by mistake, and it appears to Henry that there might be some truth in the description of the bird’s powers. The feathers of the Good Lord Bird appear several times, including the final scene in which Brown is awaiting his execution. But it is Brown’s description of the bird itself that is more significant than its feathers: 

The Good Lord Bird don’t run in a flock. He flies alone. You know why? He’s searching. Looking for the right tree. And when he sees that tree, that dead tree that’s taking all the nutrition and good things from the forest floor. He goes out and he gnaws at it, and he gnaws at it till that thing gets tired and falls down. And the dirt from it raises the other trees. It gives them good things to eat. It makes ‘em strong (415).

Brown gives this quote in the context of not seeing the end of slavery during his life, even though that is what he fought for. He sees himself as similar to the Good Lord Bird, which is a symbol of something that gives strength to others.