black boy by richard wright

• Richard: the protagonist; book tells his life growing up in the racially segregated South, facing poverty, discrimination, and his journey toward self-discovery and intellectual growth
• Granny: R’s grandma; extremely religious, holds traditional beliefs that eventually stir up problems in the family
• Mom: R’s mom; tends to be very sick throughout the story, suffers through strokes of paralysis; supports R and his hunger for reading + knowledge
• Dad: R’s dad; not really seen a lot in the story; strict
• Grandpa: stern + disciplined figure; strict, was in the Civil War; eventually dies
• Brother: moved to North before R
• Ella: provides R with books, fostering his love for reading and learning; becomes a significant influence on R’s education and personal development, despite Granny’s opposition
• Bess: Mrs Moss’ daughter; in love with R (Memphis)
• Mrs Moss: Mom of Bess; wants R to marry Bess; gives R a place to stay & eat in Memphis
• Shorty: elevator operator where R works; desperate / will do anything for money
• Aunt Addie: extremely religious, with Granny; taught at a religious school with R
• Uncle Tom: He symbolizes submission to white authority, but R hates his mindset; R threatens him with razors (as a form of self-defense against Uncle Tom’s beatings)
• Aunt Maggie: kind; provides some support for R’s family; represents a source of comfort in R’s environment
• Uncle Hoskins: Preacher R gets mad towards the beginning of the story; Aunt Maggie’s husband; runs away with Maggie (and eventually R’s brother) -> North + comes back down to help R’s mom
• Mr Crane: R’s employer for some time; white man in a clothing store; treats R fairly; “good-hearted white man from the North who tries to help R”
• Reynolds & Pease: R’s co-workers while R worked under Mr Crane; treated R like crap
• Mr Falk: feeds R’s hunger for knowledge by providing him with a library card; enables R to access a broader range of books and plays a significant role in his intellectual development; Catholic white man
• Griggs: schoolmate and friend of R; helps R find jobs; represents a connection to companionship and shared experiences during a time when R faced numerous challenges
• Harrison: A man that R becomes involved in a violent incident with, highlighting the dangers of racial conflict
• Mr Olin: An employer at the optical shop who tries to manipulate Richard by giving him a knife to fight Harrison even though he didn’t want to, exploiting racial tensions
• Ned Greenley: friend from high school that informs R about the death of Bob (killed by a group of white men)
• Bob Greenley: Ned’s brother; murdered by white men because white men believed Bob slept with a white prostitute, violating the racial & sexual norms of the South during this time
• Miss Simon: woman who runs the orphanage where R and his brother are sent, as his mother cannot afford much anymore; R tries to escape orphanage, police catch him -> take him back; punishes R
• Betsy: R’s white poodle that was given to R as a gift from Professor Matthew(who Aunt Maggie was with that commits the crime and they flee to the North)
• Aunt Jody: Uncle Clark’s Wife