If Beale Street Could Talk

by

James Baldwin

Adrienne Hunt Character Analysis

One of Fonny’s sisters. Like her mother, Mrs. Hunt, Adrienne is a prim and proper woman who dislikes Tish and her family because they aren’t religious. Unsurprisingly, she disapproves of Tish’s pregnancy and wants little to do with the collective effort to get her brother out of prison. However, despite the fact that she resents her father in the same way that her mother and sister do, Joseph notices that Adrienne still loves Frank. Indeed, Joseph sees this one night when he goes to Frank’s house to talk about Fonny’s situation. When Adrienne and Sheila come into the kitchen and ask what’s going on, Frank is so overwhelmed that he throws a glass on the floor. In this moment, Frank sees that Adrienne genuinely wants to love and support her father but doesn’t know how, since there’s too much tension and resentment in their relationship. Later, just before everyone discovers that Frank has killed himself, Adrienne calls Tish and is distraught because she can’t find her father, making Tish promise to call her if she finds out where he is.
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Adrienne Hunt Character Timeline in If Beale Street Could Talk

The timeline below shows where the character Adrienne Hunt appears in If Beale Street Could Talk. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Troubled About My Soul
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Racism, Fear, and Isolation Theme Icon
Judgmental and proper like their mother, Fonny’s sisters Adrienne and Sheila team up against Frank and Fonny, scorning them for their lack of religious... (full context)
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Shame, Judgment, and Morality Theme Icon
...“frightened,” clearly dreading whatever it is Tish and her family are about to unveil. As Adrienne and Sheila file into the living room, Tish thinks about how proper and condescending they... (full context)
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Shame, Judgment, and Morality Theme Icon
Finally, Adrienne asks Joseph why he insisted that they come over, but she does so in such... (full context)
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Shame, Judgment, and Morality Theme Icon
...When they’re gone, Tish remarks that Mrs. Hunt said a “terrible thing” to her, but Adrienne points out that it was unnecessary for Frank to hit her mother, since she really... (full context)
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Shame, Judgment, and Morality Theme Icon
Time and Anticipation Theme Icon
...again that she will be responsible for her and Fonny’s child, and then Ernestine threatens Adrienne, saying that if she continues to bother Tish, she’ll rip out her Adam’s apple. As... (full context)
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Shame, Judgment, and Morality Theme Icon
...long time. However, he also says that the D.A. has been talking to Mrs. Hunt, Adrienne, and Sheila, who have been saying that “Fonny has always been incorrigible and worthless.” Needless... (full context)
Zion
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Shame, Judgment, and Morality Theme Icon
...Fonny will continue to languish in jail. As the two men speak in the kitchen, Adrienne and Sheila make idle conversation in the next room, their occasional laughter setting Frank and... (full context)
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
...Fonny’s legal fees if they truly cared about him. As he does this, Joseph watches Adrienne and is surprised to see that it’s clear she “loves her father with a really... (full context)
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
...baby kicks and the phone rings, and when she answers it, she’s surprised to hear Adrienne’s frantic voice on the other line. Frightened, Adrienne asks if Tish has seen Frank. Apparently,... (full context)
Love, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Time and Anticipation Theme Icon
Adrienne doesn’t trust Tish when she says she hasn’t seen Frank, but Tish assures her that... (full context)