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Genre

Composite novel

Point of View

The third-person omniscient narrative voice follows all the major characters of the novel, delving into their thoughts and histories in order to reveal their true nature.

Tone

The narrative tone is a mixture of hopefulness and despair. At times it is sentimental and melodramatic.

Tense

The narrative is told almost exclusively in the past tense, with occasional flashbacks.

Setting

The narrative spans several different decades depending upon the chapter. However, most of the events that occur take place over the course of approximately a few years in Brewster Place, in an unnamed urban industrial city in the northern half of the United States.

Foreshadowing

Eva Turner’s remarks to Mattie regarding her son Basil; Butch Fuller’s advice on eating sugar cane; the reference to Ben’s death at the start of “The Two”

Major Conflict

The daily struggle to survive in Brewster Place is the central conflict.

Rising Action

A series of confrontations forms the central action in each chapter: Mattie’s escape from her parents’ home in the South; Etta’s encounter with Reverend Woods; Kiswana’s confrontation with her mother; and Lorraine’s decision to leave Theresa and attend a party by herself.

Climax

Lorraine’s brutal gang rape in Brewster Place’s alley by C. C. Baker and his friends is the climax of the novel.

Falling Action

The falling action is found in Mattie’s dream of the upcoming block party following Lorraine’s rape and Ben’s death.

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Popular pages: The Women of Brewster Place

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