If Beale Street Could Talk Character Analysis

Tish (Clementine)

A nineteen-year-old black woman living in Harlem, and the narrator of If Beale Street Could Talk. Despite her age, Tish is quite mature, partially because her trying circumstances have forced her to adopt an… read analysis of Tish (Clementine)

Fonny (Alonzo Hunt)

A twenty-two-year-old black man in prison because he has been wrongfully accused of raping Mrs. Rogers. Shortly before his arrest, Fonny asks Tish—whom he has known since he was a child—to marry him… read analysis of Fonny (Alonzo Hunt)

Sharon

Tish’s mother. Sharon is a kind and accepting woman who doesn’t judge Tish for getting pregnant with Fonny’s baby. Instead, she tells Tish not to think of herself as a “bad girl,”… read analysis of Sharon

Joseph

Tish’s father, and Sharon’s husband. Like Sharon, Joseph is an unjudgmental person who readily accepts people and their problems. In keeping with this, he insists that he doesn’t think Tish is a “bad… read analysis of Joseph

Ernestine (Sis)

Tish’s older sister. Ernestine is a confident and persuasive young woman who works as an advocate for sick and neglected children. Because of this job, she has many connections with lawyers, which is how… read analysis of Ernestine (Sis)

Frank Hunt

Fonny’s father. Frank is quite unlike his wife, Mrs. Hunt, especially since he isn’t religious. Whereas Mrs. Hunt is a “sanctified woman,” he spends his time getting drunk, though things haven’t always been… read analysis of Frank Hunt

Victoria Rogers

A Puerto Rican woman who has accused Fonny of raping her. Mrs. Rogers moved to New York City six years before she was raped, coming to the city with an American engineer she met in… read analysis of Victoria Rogers

Daniel Carty

Fonny’s friend. After many years apart, Daniel and Fonny run into one another on the street not long before Fonny is arrested. Going back to Fonny’s apartment, they drink beer and talk about Daniel’s… read analysis of Daniel Carty

Officer Bell

The racist police officer who claims to have seen Fonny running from the scene of the crime after Mrs. Rogers was raped. This is untrue, but Officer Bell wants to take revenge on Fonny because… read analysis of Officer Bell

Mrs. Hunt

Fonny’s mother and Frank’s resentful wife. Mrs. Hunt is a highly religious woman who disapproves of Tish and her family’s lifestyle, believing that Tish has ruined her son’s life because she has a… read analysis of Mrs. Hunt

Adrienne Hunt

One of Fonny’s sisters. Like her mother, Mrs. Hunt, Adrienne is a prim and proper woman who dislikes Tish and her family because they aren’t religious. Unsurprisingly, she disapproves of Tish’s pregnancy and… read analysis of Adrienne Hunt

Sheila Hunt

One of Fonny’s sisters, who is very religious like her mother and sister Adrienne. Also like Adrienne and Mrs. Hunt, Sheila disapproves of Tish and her family because they aren’t religious, and… read analysis of Sheila Hunt

Arnold Hayward

The white lawyer who takes on Fonny’s case. Although at first Tish is skeptical about whether or not Hayward actually cares about Fonny’s trial, she soon sees he is genuinely concerned about doing the… read analysis of Arnold Hayward

Pedrocito

A waiter at the Spanish restaurant in Greenwich Village, where Fonny is a regular. Pedrocito is a kind man who allows Fonny and Tish to eat without paying for their meal after Officer Bell harasses… read analysis of Pedrocito

Levy

A landlord who agrees to rent his loft space to Fonny and Tish. In contrast to the many landlords who refuse to rent property to them because they’re black, Levy is happy to have… read analysis of Levy

Geneva

One of Tish’s childhood friends. An opinionated girl, Geneva gets in a fight with Daniel, ultimately dragging Tish into the altercation. During this fight, Tish ends up hitting Fonny with a board that… read analysis of Geneva

Minor Characters

Jaime

The young man who drives Sharon around when she goes to Puerto Rico to find Mrs. Rogers. Although he hardly knows her, Jaime quickly comes to respect Sharon, which is why he devotes himself to helping her in any way he can.

Pietro

Mrs. Rogers’s “common-law husband,” who works at a night club in Puerto Rico.