Characters

Frankie Addams

• Main character
• Protagonist
• 12 year old girl beginning adolescence
• stuck between innocent childhood and young adulthood
• disconnected from everyone (not a member)
• different names- first Frankie, then F. Jasmine, then Frances
• wants to run away with her brother and his fiancée
• sexually developing
• plans of escaping her boring life

Berenice Sadie Brown

• Addams family housekeeper
• African American, over 40 years old
• Still a very sexual person
• At end of novel considers marrying to what will be her 5^th husband
• Does not put up with Frankie’s difficult behavior
• Voice of reason
• Gives Frankie perception of race

John Henry West

• 6 years old
• Frankie’s cousin
• Hangs out at Addams house
• Keeps Frankie “young”
• Foil of Frankie
• Very intelligent for his age
• Dies suddenly from meningitis which symbolizes the death of Frankie’s childhood

Royal Quincy Addams

• Father of Frankie
• Works in jewelry shop
• Widower- her mother died at childbirth

Soldier

• No name
• Is in town for three days
• drunkard
• Only wants sex
• Represents cruel world
• Opens Frankie’s eyes to sexuality

Jarvis Addams

• Frankie’s older brother
• Who marries Janice Evans
• Source of all Frankie’s desires
• Sees Frankie as a just a little kid
• Frankie wants to join them in marriage

Janice Evans

• Jarvis’ fiancée from Winter Hill

Barney MacKean

• Summer before this, he and Frankie committed a “queer sin”
• Shows ignorance towards sex

Uncle Charles

• John Henry’s great uncle
• Not related to Frankie by blood
• He dies of an illness
• Frankie feels this takes away from the marriage

Evelyn Owen

• Frankie’s only friend until she moved to Florida

Honey Brown

• Bernice’s foster brother
• Unable to go to war
• Lives with Big Mama
• African American

T. T. Williams

• Berenice’s last love, works in a restaurant
• Agrees to get married.

Big Mama

• Only wants sex
• Represents cruel world
• Opens Frankie’s eyes to sexuality