Waiting to Exhale: Analysis of Major Characters
"Waiting to Exhale" is a narrative that focuses on the lives of four African American women navigating love, friendship, and personal growth in the face of societal pressures and personal challenges. The central characters—Bernadine Harris, Savannah Jackson, Robin Stokes, and Gloria Matthews—each grapple with their own struggles, including failed marriages, career dissatisfaction, and self-identity.
Bernadine, at thirty-six, is reeling from her husband's betrayal and seeks to regain her footing in a materialistic suburban lifestyle that leaves her unfulfilled. Savannah, also thirty-six, yearns for a fresh start, moving from Denver to Phoenix in pursuit of happiness and connection. Robin, who is thirty-five, is a successful insurance underwriter but faces turmoil in her romantic life due to a pattern of unhealthy relationships. Lastly, Gloria, at thirty-eight, finds herself balancing professional success as a salon owner with personal sacrifices, particularly regarding her son's well-being.
Their intertwined stories reflect themes of resilience, the quest for self-empowerment, and the complexities of love and friendship among women, providing a rich exploration of contemporary African American women's experiences.
Waiting to Exhale: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Terry McMillan
First published: 1992
Genre: Novel
Locale: Phoenix, Arizona, and Denver, Colorado
Plot: Social realism
Time: 1990
Bernadine Harris, one of the four protagonists. She is thirty-six years old, black, and college educated. After a marriage of eleven years, her husband, John, leaves her for his white, twenty-four-year-old secretary. John tries to steal all of their community assets. She spends most of 1990 trying to pull herself together after the divorce and its resulting emotional drain. She accepts the lifestyle of upper-class suburbia, with its attention to material possessions, even when it gives her no personal satisfaction.
Savannah Jackson, one of the protagonists, the former college roommate and friend of Bernadine. She is also thirty-six years old. She has been living in Denver for three years, but she is dissatisfied with its cold weather. She also is dissatisfied with black men and her job, doing publicity for a gas company. She is offered a job in Phoenix and decides to take it even though her salary will decrease by twelve thousand dollars. She wants a new beginning and a chance to meet a man who is her equal. She also wants to be near Bernadine. She is levelheaded and, of all the women, has the least amount of growing to do.
Robin Stokes, one of the protagonists, college educated and thirty-five years old. She is an underwriter for a major insurance company and brings millions of dollars in deals to the company. In her personal life, she is much less successful. She has a number of relationships with men; most of them are failures. She partly blames herself because she has a taste for handsome black men who exhibit sexual prowess but have little else to offer. She also has a style of her own, including a penchant for expensive hairweaves, a fondness for designer clothes, and an interest in astrology and numerology.
Gloria Matthews, one of the protagonists. At the age of thirty-eight, she has changed from the perfect size nine she was in college to a woman who derives much of her meaning in life from eating and rearing her teenage son. As owner of the best black hair salon in Phoenix, Gloria is a success financially, but personally she has put her life on hold. A consequence of her eating behavior is that it complicates a family disposition to have high blood pressure.
Russell, Robin's most important recent lover. He cheats on her, uses her financially, and makes promises he does not keep. Robin keeps coming back to him, even though she knows he is no good, because he is such a good lover.
Michael King, who works at Robin's insurance company. He is an upper-management team player, has been divorced twice, and falls in love with Robin. He is a decent, hardworking black man, but he fails to ignite sparks for Robin.
Marvin King, a fifty-year-old who moves into Gloria's neighborhood, helps her around the house, and spends time with her son. He is a warm, generous, and strong black man.
Tarik Matthews, Gloria's teenage son. Although he has been a model son in the past, Tarik's grades have dropped, and Gloria discovers that he is sexually active. Gloria gives him a lecture on safe sex, and his behavior seems to improve. At least, he seems less hostile and develops new interests.
John Harris, Bernadine's former husband, a study in self-hatred. He lives to be white and for most of his marriage to Bernadine tried to make her do the same.