The Member of the Wedding characters

Also known as F. Jasmine Addams, Frances Addams

Appears from the start

A twelve-year-old girl living in a small Southern town during the final summer of the Second World War. Restless, lonely, and troubled by the feeling that she belongs nowhere, Frankie becomes absorbed in her older brother's approaching wedding and imagines that joining the newlyweds will give her the wider life she wants.

Appears from the start

The Addams family's Black cook and Frankie's closest adult confidante. Berenice is practical, perceptive, and patient with the children's talk, though she challenges Frankie's fantasies. Her own history of love, loss, and several marriages informs the advice she gives.

Appears from the start

Frankie's six-year-old cousin and her regular companion at the kitchen table. Small, imaginative, and sensitive, John Henry joins Frankie and Berenice in their long conversations and games during the days before the wedding.

Appears from the start

Frankie's older brother, a soldier home on leave to marry Janice Evans. His wedding becomes the center of Frankie's hopes, although he understands it as the beginning of a married life rather than the shared adventure she imagines.

Appears from the start

Jarvis's fiancée, whose wedding to him is only days away. Frankie idealizes the couple together and convinces herself that Janice will welcome her permanently into their new life.

Appears from the start

Frankie's widowed father, a jeweler who works long hours and has difficulty reaching his unsettled daughter. His practical responses cannot supply the sense of belonging Frankie is seeking from the wedding.

Appears from the start

Berenice's current suitor, a steady and courteous man who joins the household's evening gathering. He accepts Berenice's independence and serves as a calmer counterpart to Honey's anger and Frankie's agitation.

Appears from the start

Berenice's foster brother, a talented musician whose bitterness is sharpened by the racism and limits imposed on him. His frustration makes Berenice fear that he will place himself in danger.

Appears from the start

Berenice's elderly mother, who lives elsewhere in town and belongs to the wider circle of Black family and friends surrounding Berenice.

First appears in chapter 2

A soldier Frankie meets while wandering downtown under her new identity as F. Jasmine. He mistakes her age and intentions, and the attention she initially reads as adult companionship becomes frightening when they are alone.

First appears in chapter 3

A girl who becomes Frances Addams's close friend after the wedding summer. Refined and interested in art and travel, Mary represents the new bond and future plans that now occupy Frances.