God Bless the Child (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Kristin Elaine Eggleston
- First Published: 1964
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social criticism
- Time of Work: The 1950’s and 1960’s
- Setting: An unspecified Northern city
- Principal Characters: Rosalie “Rosie” Fleming, Lourinda Baxter Huggs, Queenie Fleming, Dolores “Dolly” Diaz
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: 1950’s, African Americans, Maturation or coming of age, 1960’s, United States or Americans, Mothers, Parents and children, Love or romance, Race, Sex or sexuality, Crime or criminals, Friendship, Dreams, Alcoholism or alcoholics, Emotions, Substance abuse, Death or dying, Working class
- Locales: North (U.S.)
The Novel
God Bless the Child is the tragic story of the short life of Rosie Fleming, who chases a false dream and dies in pursuit of it. The narrative begins when Rosie is seven years old. The reader soon learns of the early influences that indelibly shape the impressionable mind of young Rosie. The first is Rosie’s father, who has already abandoned the family when the novel opens. That event has led Rosie to believe she is unlovable. This initial seed of insecurity is inadvertently fed by Queenie, whose attempts to make Rosie independent are interpreted by Rosie as...
[The entire page is 2529 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
