Sister Loretta Character Analysis

August’s father has a romantic relationship with Sister Loretta while living in Brooklyn. After several years of bringing women home while his children sleep in the next room, August’s father settles into a routine with Sister Loretta, who introduces him to the Nation of Islam, cleans the family’s apartment, and teaches them which foods the Islamic religion deems acceptable to eat. She also prays with August and convinces her brother to join the Nation of Islam, eventually taking pride in the fact that she has helped take care of August’s father and his motherless children. However, August never embraces the Nation of Islam, at least not in the way that her father and brother do. Furthermore, as time passes, August’s father stops seeing Sister Loretta, though this doesn’t mean he completely leaves the Nation of Islam.