Billy Beede

The protagonist of the story, Billy Beede, is a sixteen-year-old black girl navigating life in Lincoln in 1963. She is unmarried and pregnant, having been lied to her by her boyfriend, Snipes, who is actually already married. Billy has lived a difficult life: she is the illegitimate child of Willa Mae, who died following a failed abortion and whom Billy always calls by her first name. Billy speaks poorly of her mother; it seems that she resents the lack of attention paid to her by Willa Mae, and Willa Mae's former partner Dill remarks that Billy declared "good riddance!" upon her mother's death. However, other characters frequently observe similarities between Billy and her mother. Both are resourceful and able to manipulate others to their own ends. Billy takes a pragmatic approach to digging up her mother's body for financial gain, but when she is faced with the spectacle of the corpse itself, she is finally able to express the grief, love, and loss she truly feels. 

Willa Mae Beede

Willa Mae Beede, Billy's mother, is already dead at the beginning of the story but appears throughout, expressing herself through the medium of spiritual-type songs. Evidently an unhappy person, Willa Mae was "fast" and treated those around her with abandon. A hustler and con artist, she spent time in prison and was able to manipulate and swindle most people with whom she came into contact. One of her most significant relationships was with Dill Smiles, who was instantly captivated by her, but Willa Mae conducted affairs with men and became pregnant at least twice during this relationship. The shadow of Willa Mae, and the effects she has had emotionally on both Billy and Dill, hangs heavily over the novel, even though Willa Mae herself is only present as a corpse. 

Dill Smiles

Described by others as a "bulldagger," Dill Smiles is perceived by others as a mannish lesbian but actually makes a concerted effort to present herself as a man and did not reveal her true physical sex to Willa Mae for many months. She is defensive and prickly, but the warmth of her character is expressed through her fondness for the pigs she rears, whom she allows to sleep in her bed. She has a fraught relationship with Billy Beede, whom she sees as very similar to her mother, Willa Mae. Dill's relationship with Willa Mae's memory is also complicated. She feels hatred for her, but also the aftermath of deep love, as indicated by the tableau toward the end of the book when she stretches out on Willa Mae's grave, as if "topping her woman" for a final time.

Clifford/Clifton Snipes

Clifford Snipes is a married man, but he conceals this fact from Billy in order to seduce her. He continues to see Billy until she is five months pregnant, at which point he promises to marry her. His perspective is given only briefly, but it is clear that Snipes has a habit of infidelity and even of causing innocent girls to become "in the family way" before abandoning them. He represents a broken dream of escape for Billy.

Aunt June and Uncle “Teddy” Roosevelt

June and Teddy have brought Billy up from the age of ten, when her mother died. Hardworking people, they are themselves childless and are keenly aware of the many advantages which have been denied to Billy in life. Aunt June is missing a physical part of herself—her leg—but an emotional part of her, too, is missing due to her longing for a child. Her husband, Teddy, is protective of both his wife...