Emma Lou is the novel’s protagonist. She is a young, Black woman from Boise, Idaho. Although she has a dark complexion herself, Emma Lou comes from a family with lighter skin, and her mother and grandmother fixate on her skin color. Emma Lou has internalized this colorism and feels a deep sense of shame. She is sure that, because she has dark skin, she will struggle to find a romantic partner, and even with an education, her place in the professional world is uncertain.

Emma Lou is a complex character. Although the judgment she has experienced from her family members and community has scarred her, she too judges individuals with dark skin and prefers to associate with Black Americans with light skin. This complexity extends to her embodiment of The Politics of Black Respectability, another of the story’s primary themes. Emma Lou fixates on the “right kind” of people, hoping to secure a social position among groups of well-mannered and educated Black Americans who have light skin. In spite of this, she does not hold herself to certain traditional moral standards and engages in multiple sexual relationships.

She is also a dynamic character: She undergoes much growth during the course of the novel, and as the

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now