Teacup Full of Roses by Sharon Bell Mathis

First published: 1972

Type of work: Domestic realism

Themes: Drugs and addiction, death, family, and race and ethnicity

Time of work: The early 1970’s

Recommended Ages: 13-15

Locale: Washington, D.C.

Principal Characters:

• Joe Brooks, a former high school dropout, who believes that dreams and actions will create a happier future
• Mattie Brooks, his mother, who favors her oldest son and neglects the younger two
• Isaac Brooks, Joe’s father, who is disabled and seldom confronts Mattie’s preferential behavior
• Paul Brooks, Joe’s older brother, who is a gifted artist and a heroin addict
• David Brooks, Joe’s younger brother, who is an outstanding student and athlete
• Ellie, Joe’s sweetheart, who believes his stories of hope for the future

The Story

Teacup Full of Roses is a realistic novel that tells of a black family’s strength and love, which allow them to face the problems of ghetto living. The characterization of the three Brooks brothers—Paul, Joe, and David—forms the basis of conflict and resolution in the novel. Paul, the oldest brother and a gifted artist, is a recovering heroin addict. As the story begins, he has returned to his family after spending seven months in a drug rehabilitation center. Mattie, his mother, overjoyed to have her favorite son home again, plans a family dinner to celebrate. The evening is a disaster because Paul, back on the streets once again, contacts a drug dealer. When he returns home it is nearly midnight and he is unable to eat any of the food Mattie has prepared. In the days that follow, it becomes obvious that Paul has returned to the streets and his drug habit. Mattie directs her efforts toward saving her son, but nothing changes the fact that Paul has given up hope.

Seventeen-year-old Joe, a dreamer who tells stories full of fantasy and hope, provides much of the family’s emotional and financial stability. He shares none of his mother’s illusions concerning Paul. Conversations with Paul convince him that his brother has no intention of giving up heroin.

Joe is faced with two questions that will affect his family and his own life: How can he help David, his younger brother, who is both a talented athlete and a scholar? What should he do after his own high school graduation?

Joe’s first decision ensures that David will participate in a special program for gifted seniors. When his mother refuses to speak to the counselor, Joe has the permission papers notarized, takes them home for signatures, and gives them to David. Concern for David’s future also influences Joe’s second decision, regarding his own immediate future. Joe cancels plans to attend college with his sweetheart, Ellie, and decides to enlist in the Navy and give David the money he has saved. An old jacket in David’s closet becomes an overnight hiding place for the money, which is to be deposited in David’s account the following day.

Joe’s high school graduation provides the setting for the climax of the novel. His father, Isaac, in the first show of strength in many years, insists that Mattie wear the dress Joe has bought for her and attend the graduation ceremonies. Joe’s graduation is a proud occasion for the family: Joe, a dropout, has worked during the day and attended night classes for the past two years to earn his diploma.

Joe joins his family and friends after the ceremonies and learns that Paul discovered the money in the old jacket pocket, has taken it, and has disappeared. Angry and afraid, Joe finds Paul on the street in a deep nod, then locates the local drug dealer and fights his bodyguards in an attempt to retrieve his money. As the police arrive, one of the bodyguards aims a gun at Joe. David, to save his brother, leaps between the two young men and is fatally shot.

Lying beside his brother’s body, Joe assures David (and himself) that his stories are true: There is a place where life is kinder and people are happy; David will soon be there. The reader is assured that Joe, too, will create for himself that happier life of his dreams.

Context

Teacup Full of Roses is Mathis’ second critically acclaimed work and first full-length novel. As many critics, and Mathis herself, have noted, her writing is a tribute to the beauty, talent, and tremendous inner resources of black youth. She celebrates the positive aspects of African American culture without ignoring the problems of poverty, discrimination, and racism. In Sidewalk Story (1971), Mathis’ first widely recognized juvenile book, Lilly Etta’s determination and love provide a solution for her friend’s evicted family. Muffin, the blind protagonist in Listen for the Fig Tree (1974), copes with her father’s murder, her mother’s grief, and an attempted rape without becoming hopeless or embittered.

Mathis’ work can best be understood in the political context of the late 1960’s Civil Rights movement. Black leaders believed that black people should value the qualities that make them unique and separate from mainstream culture. Black writers began to be recognized by publishers for their skillful portrayal of their culture; there was an interest in understanding black culture and in publishing the work of black writers. Mathis’ work reflects pride in the uniqueness of her culture by creating strong protagonists with close family ties.

Strong family ties are evident in all Mathis’ work. Joe’s family, in spite of neurotic interaction patterns, is built upon a solid foundation of love. The Hundred Penny Box (1975), a Newbery Medal book, clearly demonstrates, through conversations and 101-year-old Aunt Dew’s stories, the love and respect Michael has for his aunt. In addition, the language spoken by the characters in Mathis’ work is unique to black culture. Considered taboo until the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the use of black dialect became a technique for creating realistic characters.

Mathis joins many excellent black writers who describe the positive aspects of black culture to young audiences. Virginia Hamilton’s The Planet of Junior Brown (1971) and Walter Dean Myers’ Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff (1975), for example, contain strong black protagonists who are proud of their heritage and who struggle successfully with the problems of poverty and racism. In Eloise Greenfield’s Sister (1974) and Alice Childress’ A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich (1973), young black people give and receive family support. Pride in black culture is nourished by Mathis and writers like her who celebrate the beauty of young black men and women.