Alice Clement Character Analysis in The Warmth of Other Suns

Alice is Robert Foster’s wife and Rufus and Pearl Clement’s daughter. She and Robert meet when they are both in college, and after they marry, they have two daughters but live apart for several years because of Robert’s frequent moves. Alice and the girls finally move in with Robert when he sets up his practice in Los Angeles, but they still remain closer to Alice’s family than to Robert. In fact, Alice is so used to living in an elite bubble that she often disapproves of Robert’s conventional manners. They find common ground in their shared love for extravagant parties, but they never truly see eye-to-eye about anything else. She dies at just 54 years old in 1974.

Alice Clement Character Timeline in The Warmth of Other Suns

The timeline below shows where the character Alice Clement appears in The Warmth of Other Suns. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

During Pershing’s senior year, a professor introduces him to Alice Clement, the daughter of Dr. Rufus Clement, Atlanta University’s president and one of the nation’s... (full context)

Atlanta, 1941. Pershing Foster marries Alice Clement shortly after she graduates college in 1941. Their elaborate wedding is “the social event... (full context)

History, Memory, and Identity Theme Icon

...a medical officer in Austria for the U.S. Army. For the first time, he and Alice get to live together with their daughters. Thousands of Black soldiers had helped liberate Europe... (full context)

...his father is a pariah, having been pushed out of his job. He can join Alice’s family at the Clement mansion in Atlanta, but only at the price of his independence.... (full context)

...campus, and friends from Monroe help him furnish it and throw an open house. Then, Alice and their daughters join him. He finds an apartment near the office, but the landlord... (full context)

Los Angeles, 1954. Alice is used to her family’s Atlanta mansion, so the new Los Angeles apartment is a... (full context)

As Robert spends more time at horse races and Las Vegas casinos, Alice and the children again grow closer to her family and start living the same socialite... (full context)

...spends weeks choosing the perfect suit for himself and (more importantly) the perfect gown for Alice. Robert’s nephew Madison, Jr., a sociology graduate student, agonizes about how he’ll meet Robert’s unrealistic... (full context)

Back in L.A., Robert and Alice have a chic anniversary dinner at the same restaurant every December 23. One year, he’s... (full context)

Los Angeles, December 1974. Alice Foster dies of cancer at just 54 years old. Black newspapers like The Chicago Defender... (full context)

Los Angeles, 1978. After Alice’s death, Robert’s social life largely disappears. And without the social life, his lucrative job starts... (full context)