Psychoanalyzing a character in a book

by: Amiry Hottinger,
High Tech High, San Diego CA
October 22. 2009
The Women of Brewster Place
by Gloria Naylor

Question: Choose a character in the book and psychoanalyze him or her. Why is this character important in the novel? Go in depth to explain behaviors and hidden motivations. Show, with evidence, why this character is essential to the development of the novel.


The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor is a montage of the collective strength of seven diverse African American women who live in abandoned buildings on a walled-off street of an urban neighborhood. They have arrived there in different ways; some women have come up from the South to the "Promised Land" of the North, only to find disillusionment and loss. Others have moved in from better parts of the city to escape prejudice or protest against the relentless onslaught of middle class values. Gloria Naylor tells each woman's story separately, but slowly links development between and among the various characters. In general, they are all stories of the will to survive and the overcoming of predatory and inhumane behavior from their own relatives and neighbors. The women progressively try to make a community out of a group of unfulfilled dreamers that don't really understand each other, but ultimately become self-reliant women. Of all the characters presented in the story, the middle-aged matriarch of the group, Mattie Michael, becomes the backbone and the source of comfort for several of the other women. She is the most consistent and prominent character that is presented throughout the book that coveys the true portrayal of African American women.
Mattie Michael is first introduced in the novel during her teen years in Tennessee where she lived with her parents: Samuel, her overprotective father and Fannie, her nurturing mother. Mattie allows herself to be seduced by Butch Fuller, a boy whom Samuel warns Mattie about. When Samuel learns that Mattie is pregnant by Butch, he becomes enraged and beats her. In order to escape her father's abuse, pregnant Mattie leaves her home and stays with her friend, Etta Mae Johnson in North Carolina. After five months, Mattie gives birth to a baby boy whom she names Basil. When Etta Mae leaves for New York, Mattie is left with her son in the apartment. After a terrifying incident with a rat harming Basil, Mattie decides to leave the apartment and find a new home. When she comes across Eva Turner and her grand-daughter, Luciela, they allow Mattie and her son to move in with them. When Eva passes away, Mattie remains to take care of the house but later loses it when she posts bail for Basil. Ultimately, Basil runs away and Mattie moved to Brewster Place, neglected and heartbroken, only to build up herself once again.
Mattie also has a strong grasp on the concept of friendship. Etta Mae Johnson and Mattie both have known each other since they grew up together in Tennessee. Throughout the years, they have remained very good friends and have been there for one another through difficult times in their lives. When Etta Mae first appears in Brewster Place, she is the center of attention; pulling up in a Cadillac with a Florida license plate and then comes out of the car wearing a green sundress and sunglasses. Etta Mae seemed as if she always lived a life very different from that of Mattie Michael. Etta Mae broke all the rules; she did not believe in being submissive to whites, and she did not want to marry, be a mother, and remain with the same man for the rest of her life. She is a woman who is aware of her own mind. Etta Mae was always looking for something that was just out of her reach, attaching herself to a a new man until she was got bored of him. As a result, Etta Mae spends her life moving from one man to the next. When Etta Mae meets Reverend Woods during Sunday morning church, she automatically falls for him. Mattie on the other hand, is more conscious of what Etta Mae's motives are and confronts her friend and questions her of what it is that she somehow felt obligated to straighten her friend out; to allow Etta Mae to realize that what she was doing with her life was not productive nor it was it moral and expected of a woman. As Mattie pushed her concerns towards Etta Mae, she completely defends herself and practically puts Mattie in the position of offense. To Mattie's defense, she thinks to herself: "Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over. Mattie realized that this moment was called for all three (Naylor, 70.)" Mattie knows how to be a true friend and knows when to back off when she pushes things too far. With the realization of her foolishness, Etta Mae returns home to Mattie: "Etta laughed softly to herself as she climbed the steps toward the light and the love and the comfort that awaited her (Naylor, 74)." Mattie knew what she was doing and she knew that it was up to Etta Mae to make the right decision and to come to the realization that Mattie was just trying to help. Friendship is always something that Mattie will cherish, and despite that the fact that friends do tend to argue, they will always be waiting for one another and be there for one another and maintain an even stronger bond.
Mattie plays a significant role into Luciela's recovery after a devastating incident. Luciela (Ciel) Louise Turner first appears in the story as the grand-daughter of Eva Turner. She previously lived with Eva and Mattie in North Carolina, but moves to Brewster Place later on in the story. Once Mattie moves to Brewster Place, Luciela is all grown up and has a daughter of her own. She also has a husband, Eugene, whom she loves very much, despite the fact that he abuses her verbally and threatens to harm. Luciela feels the need to always please Eugene and desperately tries to have their relationship work. When Luciela learns that Eugene does not want the child that she is pregnant with, she aborts the baby. Soon after, she regrets it and she begins to realize the kind of person that her husband really is. After an attempt to have Eugene stay with her, Luciela's daughter, Serena is killed in an unfortunate accident. Ultimately, Luciela is heartbroken and devastated after her child dies and goes into depression. During Serena's funeral, Luciela secludes herself in a room away from all her guests. Mattie comes in and tries to end Luciela's long-suffering: "She rocked her into her childhood and let her see murdered dreams. And she rocked her back, back into the womb, to the nadir of her hurt, and they found it- a slight silver splinter, embedded just below the surface of the skin. And Mattie rocked and pulled- and the splinter gave way, but its roots were deep, gigantic, ragged, and they tore up flesh with bits of fat and muscle tissue clinging to them. They left a huge hole, which was already starting to pus over, but Mattie was satisfied. It would heal (Naylor, 103.)" Mattie made a substantial effort to bounce Luciela back into reality and to face the grieve that she would have to overcome in order to accept the loss of her daughter. Luciela was living almost as if she had completely shut herself from the physical world; she was not aware of her surroundings, she let the house and herself go and she seemed as if she was not sure of what to do or what to think because of all the emotions that she felt for the loss of her daughter. Mattie did the utmost aspect of the loss of a loved one but allowing Ciel to feel the pain and to let her emotions out.
Not only does Mattie attempt to mentally stabilize Luciela, but she also tries to play the motherly role of physically cleansing her: "Mattie cupped her hands under the faucet and motioned for Ciel to drink and clean her mouth. When the water left Ciel's mouth, it tasted as if she had been rinsing with a mild acid. Mattie drew a tub of hot water and undressed Ciel. She let the nightgown fall off the narrow shoulders, over the pitifully thin breasts and jutting hipbones. She slowly helped her into the water, and it was like a dried brown autumn leaf hitting the surface of a puddle... (Naylor, 104.)" Mattie Michael also made an attempt to physically bounce Luciela into reality by making her cleanse her mouth and giving her a bath because she had not done so for says. Mattie was simply just trying to allow her to feel reality once again and gain conscious awareness of her surroundings and she was able to successfully achieve that goal.
Mattie also manages to see situations in a very different perspective. Lastly in the book, we meet Lorraine and Theresa, also known as "The Two." They are unique amongst the Brewster Place women because of their sexual relationship, as well as their relationship with their female neighbors. Their neighbors find their relationship very difficult to accept. As lesbians, Lorraine and Theresa represent everything foreign to the other women. Lorraine feels the woman's hostility and longs to be accepted. Theresa, on the other hand, makes no apologies for her lifestyle and gets angry with Lorraine for wanting to fit in with the women. Theresa wants Lorraine to toughen up- to accept who she is and not try to please other people. One of the main oppositions of the two and the one that is responsible for leading the campaign against Lorraine and Theresa, is Sophie. During a block party meeting, she states her opinions about how Lorraine and Theresa's relationship was not socially acceptable and was an abomination against the bible. Mattie steps in and opposes of Sophie's views of The Two and respectively voices her own opinion: "Well, I've loved women, too. There was Miss Eva and Ciel, and even as ornery as you can get, I've loved you practically all my life. (Naylor, 141.)" Mattie views Lorraine and Theresa's relationship much more different than Sophie and most of the other women on the block. She then says: "But I've loved some women deeper than I ever loved any man," Mattie was pondering. "And there been some women who loved me more and did more for me than any man ever did (Naylor, 141.)" Mattie sees their relationship as something that isn't exactly that ironic. She views their relationship from a completely different perspective than everyone else. She believes that two women can love each other unconditionally the same way a woman can love her closest girl friend, a man can love a women or in any other variety. Quite understandingly, Mattie considers that the definition of love is universal and that there is merely not one solid meaning.
Mattie's strength, truthfulness, morals as well as her ability to survive hardships- losing a child, fleeing her parent's home, and losing her own home, she still continues to persevere. Her constant strength is a source of support for women such as Etta Mae Johnson, Luciela Turner and Lorraine and Theresa. Her generous heart and deep faith represent the best elements not only of Brewster Place but also of African-American women in general.


Works Cited
Naylor, Gloria. The Women of Brewster Place: New York: Penguin, 1982.