Foil

Character Role Analysis

Carver's Mother and Julian's Mother

Yeah, we get the sense that Carver's mother may stir up trouble at some point. After all, she's described as a "giant of a woman" (77), and that "the downward tilt of her lower lip was like a warning sign: DON'T TAMPER WITH ME (77)." Not only does Carver's mother literally beat Julian's mother, she frustrates both mother and son's positions on race relations. After the explosion of violence in which she knocks Julian's mother down with her handbag, the only place to go is down. Literally.