Women of Brewster Place Charcter Analysis
Character List
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Brewster Place - The name of the housing development in which the novel is set. Although Brewster Place is a physical structure, it is personified and endowed with a spirit that brings it to life. Brewster Place is at once a warm, loving community and a desolate and blighted neighborhood on the verge of collapsing.
Mattie Michael - The most important character in the novel. Mattie moves to Brewster Place late in life, after her son abandons her and forces her to lose her home. Mattie quickly becomes a surrogate mother to several of the women in the housing complex, offering love and support to women who, like her, have only one another to rely on.
Read an in-depth analysis of Mattie Michael.
Etta Mae Johnson - Mattie’s childhood friend and a resident of Brewster Place. Etta has spent her life bouncing from one city and man to the next, constantly in search of the fulfillment of some unnamed desire. Etta moves into Brewster Place late in life. When she arrives, she feels that her spirit has broken. Eventually, she comes to understand the value of her relationship with Mattie.
Read an in-depth analysis of Etta Mae Johnson.
Kiswana Browne - One of the six women portrayed in the novel. Kiswana, whose real name is Melanie, was born and raised in an affluent black suburb, Linden Hills. Kiswana, however, drops out of college, changes her name, and moves into Brewster Place in order to fight for the cultural and class revolution she so ardently believes in. Kiswana is young and naïve but full of optimism and ideals.
Eva Turner - The woman who provides Mattie and her son with a home. Eva has a brief but important role in the novel. Her act of kindness provides Mattie with a home in which to raise her child. In addition, Eva’s keen insight into Mattie’s relationship with her son foreshadows the problems Mattie will have with him as an adult.
Basil Michael - Mattie’s only son. Basil is the center of Mattie’s life from the moment of his
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Brewster Place - The name of the housing development in which the novel is set. Although Brewster Place is a physical structure, it is personified and endowed with a spirit that brings it to life. Brewster Place is at once a warm, loving community and a desolate and blighted neighborhood on the verge of collapsing.
Mattie Michael - The most important character in the novel. Mattie moves to Brewster Place late in life, after her son abandons her and forces her to lose her home. Mattie quickly becomes a surrogate mother to several of the women in the housing complex, offering love and support to women who, like her, have only one another to rely on.
Read an in-depth analysis of Mattie Michael.
Etta Mae Johnson - Mattie’s childhood friend and a resident of Brewster Place. Etta has spent her life bouncing from one city and man to the next, constantly in search of the fulfillment of some unnamed desire. Etta moves into Brewster Place late in life. When she arrives, she feels that her spirit has broken. Eventually, she comes to understand the value of her relationship with Mattie.
Read an in-depth analysis of Etta Mae Johnson.
Kiswana Browne - One of the six women portrayed in the novel. Kiswana, whose real name is Melanie, was born and raised in an affluent black suburb, Linden Hills. Kiswana, however, drops out of college, changes her name, and moves into Brewster Place in order to fight for the cultural and class revolution she so ardently believes in. Kiswana is young and naïve but full of optimism and ideals.
Eva Turner - The woman who provides Mattie and her son with a home. Eva has a brief but important role in the novel. Her act of kindness provides Mattie with a home in which to raise her child. In addition, Eva’s keen insight into Mattie’s relationship with her son foreshadows the problems Mattie will have with him as an adult.
Basil Michael - Mattie’s only son. Basil is the center of Mattie’s life from the moment of his