Quicklet on Isabel Wilkerson's the Warmth of Other Suns by Taryn Nakamura

Author:Taryn Nakamura
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hyperink
Published: 2013-04-16T00:00:00+00:00

Major Characters

“They were the ones sitting up straighter, more alert, their memories awakened, when they passed the fields of tobacco and cotton, the small church-steepled towns along the way and the groves of orange trees that George knew so well, because, mean and ornery as it may have been, the South was still the Old Country, the land where their fathers and mothers were buried, and these original migrants were heading home to it, at least for now.”

Ida Mae Brandon Gladney moved from Mississippi to Chicago. Ida Mae left behind her widowed mother and sisters and a life of cotton picking — which she was never very good at. Even in the North, she didn’t try too hard to fit in, retaining her southern ways and Mississippi accent. She was too sweet-natured to take it personally when white neighbors fled the neighborhood at her family’s arrival. She and George lived an insular life within their house in Chicago, tending to their family and not interacting with the increasingly crime-filled neighborhood.

George Gladney was Ida Mae’s quiet, upright husband. He exuded determination and beat out another suitor in his courtship of Ida Mae. He made the decision to move the family North, where he found work at Campbell’s soup cannery. He became a deacon at church and instilled good morals in his family. His death left a huge hole in Ida Mae’s life.

Edd Pearson was the white planter who owned the cotton farm where Ida Mae and George worked. He was a decent boss and always let George end the year with a few dollars in profit. However, Mr. Edd once brutally beat George’s cousin for stealing turkeys. When the cousin was discovered to be innocent, Mr. Edd issued no apologies. This incident caused George and Ida Mae to flee the South.

George Swanson Starling left Eustis, Florida for New York City during WWII. His idealistic ways, quick mind, and ambition had threatened the status quo of the South. George had been an NAACP supporter in the South and continued efforts to subvert discrimination when he moved to the North. George admitted that he had his share of mischief — adultery, drinking, gambling, and partying helped him escape an unhappy domestic sphere. Later in life, George became a devout Christian and tried to pass on wisdom to young ones. Among the lessons he learned was to never be spiteful and to make the most of the advantages given to you.

Inez Cunningham was George Starling’s wife. Orphaned as a young girl, she grew up with strict Pentecostal aunts who scared her away from the church. She was always stubborn and harbored grudges that would strain her marriage with George. She doted on her first-born, Gerard, and was heart-broken when he slipped into drugs. She died of cancer in her late 50s.

Gerard Starling was George’s son. Since George and Inez were often away at work, Gerard began getting into trouble and doing drugs with Harlem peers. George would refrain from talking about Gerard because he was so disappointed that Gerard had wasted the advantages available to him in the North.

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