Crumbs from the Table of Joy Characters

Ernestine is a 17-year-old girl who has recently moved from Florida to Brooklyn with her father, Godfrey, and her younger sister, Ermina. Throughout the play, Ernestine—who is Black—acts as a narrator of sorts… read analysis of Ernestine Crump

Godfrey Crumb is Black man who has recently moved from Florida to Brooklyn with his daughters, Ernestine and Ermina. Godfrey was inspired to travel north after his wife’s death, which sent him into a… read analysis of Godfrey Crump

Lily is Ernestine and Ermina’s aunt and Godfrey’s late wife’s sister. An independent, progressive Black woman involved with the Communist Party, she arrives unannounced at the Crumbs’ apartment in Brooklyn not long after… read analysis of Lily

Ermina is Ernestine’s younger sister, a 15-year-old Black girl who has just moved to Brooklyn from Florida. Unlike Ernestine, who is relatively shy and reserved, Ermina is extroverted and eager to meet boys her… read analysis of Ermina Crump

Father Divine was the leader and founder of the Peace Mission Movement, a real-life religious movement that reached its prominence in the mid-20th century. Father Divine claimed that he was God and sang the virtues… read analysis of Father Divine