The story’s protagonist is Cora Jenkins, a 40-year-old African American woman living in a predominantly white, rural town. Hughes writes little of her physical appearance, apart from specifying her race. She has lived in the town of Melton all her life. The narrator’s statement that she’ll probably die there signifies her lack of resources and opportunities. Cora is the eldest of eight children, whom she helped raise. She dropped out of school in eighth grade and has worked as a “maid of all work” for the Studevant family ever since (4), where she is treated quite roughly.

Much of Cora’s characterization is revealed through authorial interpretation. The narrator calls her “an inoffensive soul” (3), humble and unashamed about life, and informs readers how Cora responds to each major event in her life, whether humbly or not. This prompts consideration of a thematic concept in the story: society’s hypocritical expectations regarding the way Black individuals should behave. Authorial interpretation paints a picture of Cora as someone wholly selfless and kind with admirable inner strength.

Cora’s actions provide a corresponding sense of who she is and what she values. From her youth, she sacrifices her own needs and opportunities to take care of her parents and siblings, leaving school to work and putting all her pay toward her family’s needs.