The person01–03
01·Who they are
Who is Mr. Birkway?
Mr. Birkway is an English teacher at Euclid's Latham Junior High School, introduced early in the novel as a large, energetic man whose physical exuberance—jumping onto his desk to read poetry aloud, conducting class with the full-body commitment of a performer—immediately sets him apart from the standard classroom authority figure. Creech presents him as genuinely invested in literature's emotional power, treating the act of reading not as an academic exercise but as something urgent and alive. His enthusiasm is contagious enough that even Sal, who is grieving and largely withdrawn, responds to the atmosphere he creates. Yet Birkway is not simply the "inspirational teacher" archetype. His cheerfulness is layered over private knowledge and private sorrow, making him one of the more quietly complex adults in a novel full of adults carrying secrets.
02·Arc & motivation
What is Mr. Birkway's arc and motivation?
Birkway's trajectory in the novel moves from enthusiastic, slightly oblivious instructor to a figure of unexpected depth once his connection to Margaret Cadaver is disclosed. His core motivation throughout appears to be a genuine belief that articulating experience—writing it, reading it, hearing it—is how people process what they cannot otherwise say. The journal assignment embodies this belief: by having students write privately and then reading entries aloud without attribution, he is trying to create a safe anonymous space for emotional truth. The flaw in that logic is significant. His motivation is sound but his execution fails to account for the real vulnerability of adolescents, particularly those already in crisis. His arc is less a dramatic transformation than a gradual reveal: as Sal learns he is Margaret's brother, the reader retrospectively understands that his attentiveness to Sal was never purely pedagogical. He knew about her mother's death through Margaret and watched Sal navigate the school year carrying a weight he recognized but could not directly acknowledge.
03·Key moments
What are Mr. Birkway's key moments?
The journal readings are the most consequential scenes involving Birkway. His decision to read entries aloud—including Phoebe's raw account of her mother's disappearance—makes the classroom briefly unbearable. The moment is pivotal not because Birkway acts maliciously, but precisely because he does not: his thoughtlessness is the point, demonstrating how well-meaning adults can inadvertently strip away the protections children build around pain.
The revelation that Birkway is Margaret Cadaver's brother is the other defining moment. When Sal discovers this connection, every prior scene with him is recontextualised. His warmth toward her was informed by knowledge she did not know he possessed, which feels simultaneously comforting and intrusive—a quieter echo of the journal exercise itself. Both revelations concern Birkway knowing more than he lets on and choosing, for better or worse, a form of indirect engagement over direct confrontation.
The cast04–05
04·Relationships
What are Mr. Birkway's most important relationships?
With Sal: The most significant dynamic in the novel. Birkway occupies a strange position—an adult who knows the shape of Sal's grief without ever naming it to her. His journal exercise forces Sal toward articulation she has resisted, and the Margaret revelation forces her toward a re-evaluation of resentment she has clung to. In this way, Birkway functions as an inadvertent catalyst for Sal's emotional movement without ever having a single frank conversation with her about her mother.
With Phoebe: The journal incident is harder on Phoebe in some respects because her entry concerns a still-unresolved crisis—her mother's disappearance. Reading it aloud, even anonymously, transforms private anguish into classroom material. The scene accelerates Phoebe's confrontation with her family's reality and illustrates Birkway's blind spot: he treats all emotional content as equally available for communal reflection.
With Margaret Cadaver: The sibling relationship operates almost entirely offstage, but is structurally essential. Margaret's experience—her presence at the bus accident, her complicated place in the Hiddle family aftermath—flows through Birkway as background knowledge that quietly shapes his classroom behaviour. His loyalty to his sister is suggested rather than dramatised, adding to the sense that he, like most adults in the novel, contains a life Sal can only partially see.
With Ben Finney: Ben's presence in Birkway's class offers Sal a peer-level witness to the journal readings. Ben's sensitivity makes the classroom feel less isolating for Sal and suggests that Birkway's environment, whatever its failures, does cultivate genuine emotional openness in at least some students.
05·Connected characters
How is Mr. Birkway connected to the other characters?
Study06–07
06·Questions
Questions readers ask about Mr. Birkway
Is Mr. Birkway related to any other character in Walk Two Moons?
Yes, Mr. Birkway is Margaret Cadaver's brother, a detail that recontextualises every scene he shares with Sal. Since Margaret was present at the bus accident that killed Sal's mother, Birkway had already grasped the extent of Sal's grief long before she joined his class. His quiet attentiveness throughout the school year was not purely pedagogical; it also revealed his deep understanding of her loss.
What is Mr. Birkway's journal assignment, and why is it controversial?
Birkway asks students to write private journal entries and reads selections aloud to the class without disclosing the authors. His goal is to create an anonymous space for sharing emotional truth, but the execution is flawed: students in crisis — including Phoebe, whose entry discusses her missing mother — find their private struggles turned into classroom material. The assignment shows how good intentions can unintentionally undermine the protective barriers students establish around their pain.
How does the journal reading affect Phoebe Winterbottom in Walk Two Moons?
When Birkway reads Phoebe's entry about her mother's disappearance aloud, the moment is both exposing and inadvertently therapeutic. Unlike entries concerning resolved pain, Phoebe's deals with an ongoing family crisis, making the public reading feel especially raw. This moment accelerates Phoebe's confrontation with the reality of Mrs. Winterbottom's absence and underscores Birkway's oversight: he treats all emotional content as suitable for communal discussion.
How does Sal feel about Mr. Birkway after learning he is Margaret Cadaver's brother?
The revelation initially unsettles Sal since she has long harbored resentment toward Margaret. Discovering the connection between her enthusiastic teacher and Margaret makes his previous kindness feel both comforting and intrusive — echoing the journal exercise, where someone knew more about her than she realized. Over time, however, this connection helps Sal perceive both Birkway and Margaret as more fully human, nudging her towards forgiving her father's relationship with Margaret.
What teaching methods make Mr. Birkway stand out in Walk Two Moons?
Birkway teaches with full-body enthusiasm — jumping onto his desk to read poetry aloud and conducting class like a performer — which fosters an inviting atmosphere that motivates students to engage. He treats literature as urgent and alive instead of merely academic, and even the grieving, withdrawn Sal responds to the energy he generates. This physical exuberance, alongside the journal assignment, defines his unconventional, emotionally driven approach to English.
Is Mr. Birkway a good teacher in Walk Two Moons, or does he cause harm?
Birkway is morally complex rather than simply good or bad. His genuine belief that articulating experience aids in processing unexpressed feelings is sound, and his classroom promotes emotional openness in students like Ben Finney. Yet his journal readings illustrate that well-meaning enthusiasm can cause real harm when it disregards sensitivity to vulnerability. Creech uses him to highlight that good intentions alone are insufficient; execution and awareness of students' emotional safety are equally important.
What role does Mr. Birkway play in Sal's emotional journey in Walk Two Moons?
Birkway acts as an inadvertent catalyst for Sal's emotional journey without directly addressing her about her mother. His journal exercise encourages Sal to articulate grief she has suppressed, and the revelation about Margaret compels her to reevaluate resentments she has maintained. He embodies the novel's theme that everyone carries hidden stories: his cheerful classroom persona conceals personal grief and loyalty to his sister, reflecting the layers Sal herself is gradually uncovering.
How does Mr. Birkway's relationship with Ben Finney shape the classroom dynamic in Walk Two Moons?
Birkway's open, creative environment allows Ben Finney to express genuine sensitivity, and Ben's responses to the journal readings provide Sal with peer-level validation of their emotional stakes. This is significant because Sal is largely withdrawn and grieving; witnessing a classmate respond authentically makes the classroom feel less isolating. Ben's presence indicates that, despite Birkway's missteps, his approach does effectively cultivate real emotional openness in at least some students.
07·Essay angles
Use this in your essay
Tool · Essay angles