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Twyla is the narrator of the story, which begins when she is eight years old and follows her into adulthood. Her time at the children’s shelter is tumultuous and affects the rest of her life. It also forever links her to her roommate at the shelter, Roberta. Twyla’s race is never explicitly stated, only that she and Roberta are referred to as “salt and pepper” by the other children. The description implies that one girl is white and the other is Black. Twyla almost immediately expresses prejudiced thoughts about Roberta because she is a different race. However, Twyla also builds a strong sisterly connection with her because they both have living mothers who left them at the shelter. Twyla resents her mother for being unwilling or unable to care for her. Simultaneously, she misses her mother deeply, which is heartbreakingly obvious when her mother envelops her in a hug on her visit to St. Bonny’s. Twyla’s feelings about her mother are not directly expressed in the narrative past her time at St. Bonny’s. Her hurt and anger are explored through her reflections on her memories of Maggie. As an adult, Twyla realizes that she associated Maggie with her absent mother. She wanted to see the older girls hurt Maggie to process some of the rage she felt toward her own mother. This realization shows Twyla’s emotional growth over time.

Twyla’s prejudice is challenged by her relationship with Roberta and resurfaces each time she reconnects with Roberta as an adult. She is saddened by the racial strife in Newburgh while still holding on to some prejudice herself. The issue of race is a central one between the two women that is often juxtaposed with their distinct socioeconomic backgrounds. Twyla is working class, as she works as a waitress and later marries a firefighter. Her socioeconomic status is an important aspect of her identity that sets her apart from Roberta, who is wealthy. Twyla lives an average middle-class existence, and she worries over frivolous grocery expenses and the cost of Christmas trees. She expresses resentment toward the more affluent residents of Newburgh for gentrifying it. Twyla thinks of her wealthy neighbors when she sees Roberta’s opulence on display with her limousine and black-tie regalia. Often, the narrative is unclear about whether Twyla’s resentments are economically linked or racially linked, which implies that Twyla is emotionally unable to separate the two.

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