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Similar to characters like the Fool in King Lear or other Shakespearean plays, Gabriel is the wise fool, a character who often sounds silly or nonsensical, but who knows more about the characters around him than they know about themselves. When he talks to his brother Troy in riddles about hellhounds and St. Peter in Act One, Scene Two, Gabriel seems to observe Troy's fates with clarity. He tries, in his playful language, to warn Troy of his tragic fate. Additionally, Gabriel also represents the tragic circumstances of Black World War II veterans, who often went unrewarded for their service.
Gabriel is permanently disabled due to being shot in the head while serving in WWII. His wound required metal plates to be surgically implanted in his head, and the brain damage from the head trauma has resulted in a loss of cognitive abilities. Gabriel is semi-independent, meaning that he recognizes his family and can cobble together a bit of money by selling fruit but would be unable to hold a steady job and is often arrested for displaying strange behavior in public. Gabriel believes that he is a physical manifestation of the biblical Saint Gabriel and claims that he spends his time chasing away hellhounds. These delusions make it difficult for Troy or his family to have a real or normal relationship with Gabriel, as he is preoccupied with his fantasies.
Rose wants to commit Gabriel to a mental institution, as she genuinely believes his quality of life would be better. Additionally, needing to rescue Gabriel from jail by paying off the police is a considerable financial strain on the family. Troy is understandably reluctant to do send Gabriel away. He resents the idea that Gabriel, who sacrificed his physical and intellectual well-being to serve his country, would be stripped of his freedoms due to that very sacrifice. Troy also feels guilty for using some of Gabriel’s veteran pension to finance his own home. Troy justifies this decision by assuming that Gabriel would not be able to handle his own finances, thus making it more responsible to use his money to buy a house that everyone, including Gabriel, can live in. However, Troy is uncertain about the moral implications of this decision and knows that he has taken advantage of his brother to some extent. Troy also struggles with the knowledge that his own masculine identity and his success as a financial provider are dependent on his brother’s disability—a cruel twist of fate has stripped Gabriel of his independence and future and given those attributes to his brother instead.
