Delphine Character Analysis

Delphine, the main character of this novel, lives with her father, grandmother and two siblings in Brooklyn, NYC. Her father sends Delphine and her two sisters, Vonetta and Fern, to spend their summer with their estranged mother, Cecile, in Oakland. The father believes it is essential that the young girls meet their mother. They haven’t seen their mother for the past seven years since she had abandoned them. However, as the three little girls got out of the plane to meet their mom, her reaction was appalling; she rudely ordered them to follow her. The young girls found themselves with a mother who was clearly not pleased of this ‘interference’ into her life. Cecile sends them to the People’s Center, which is a summer camp run by a Black Panther

At first, Cecile is depicted as an evil mother that doesn’t care about her kids and is extremly selfish. However, as the story goes further on, Cecil becomes a friendly, sympathetic character to the readers. The author manages to unearth the mother’s true personality. The readers learn about her tragic chilhood and her reason for being so reluctant with her children. Also, Cecil is later one revealed as a freedom fighter and a fierce black woman which attracts the readers to her. Furthermore, the author has shown tremendous work as she changed the readers point of view about Delphine’s mother. In conclusion, the author’s work of developing Cecil’s character creates a good flow to the

The story is associated with the setting and the events revolve around the circumstances of those dreadful years. The main character, Delphine, has to deal with her environment and how people treat and view her. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, segregation and descrimination was still alive in the minds of many, thus, Delphine’s life was not considered unchallenging. As an African-American, Delphine, other than having to face and surmount the complication the tough years gave her, she had to face external promises as well. Her mother has given up on her, however, Delphine didn’t turn o ut as an uneducated child ; she kept it all together. Delphine has numerous responsibilities and heavy weight on her shoulders. She had to look out and take maternal care of her younger siblings, as well as reveal to them the mystery of their past and why their mother abandonned at a very young age. In addition to all her internal and external issues, society is no help. All in all, the setting of the story has had a immense and great impact on the story’s conflict and the character’s dilma and