Squeaky Parker

Squeaky’s real name is Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, but she is called Squeaky because of her small squeaky voice. She is a thin little girl from a poor family in Harlem and has had to grow up quickly and assume a tough, confident demeanor in order to survive and protect her reputation. Despite this, she has a more reflective and even poetic side to her personality, which she never allows anyone to see. Squeaky is extremely competitive in various fields and has “a roomful of ribbons and medals and awards,” but she is particularly proud of her ability as a runner. She appears to have few friends, and her relationships with the other girls at her school are antagonistic. She is protective in her attitude toward her brother, Raymond, but shows no affection for him until the end of the story.

Raymond Parker

In spite of the story’s title, the reader does not learn much about Raymond. He is Squeaky’s elder brother and is larger than she is, but she has to look after him, as he is, in her words, “not quite right.” The nature of Raymond’s disability is never specified. Squeaky mentions that he has a large head, and he spends a lot of time in a make-believe world of his own, as Squeaky herself used to do. Raymond appears to be very fond of Squeaky and likes to imitate her, which is why he runs beside her in the race.

George Parker

George is Squeaky’s other brother and is seldom mentioned. He makes money running errands and selling Christmas cards, and had to look after Raymond before Squeaky took over. Squeaky implies that George was not as zealous in defending Raymond as she is, and he does not seem to be very close to either of his siblings. George is also irritated by Raymond’s tendency to mimic Squeaky by performing breathing exercises at the dinner table.

Mr. Parker

Squeaky’s father is only mentioned briefly, but there is a great secret, which only he and Squeaky know: he is a much faster runner even than his daughter and can beat her in a race to Amsterdam Avenue “with me having a two-fire-hydrant head-start and him running with his hands in his pockets and whistling.”

Cynthia Procter

Cynthia is a girl who goes to Squeaky’s school. Her principal attribute, according to Squeaky, is an irritating pretense of never having done any work, practiced the piano, or studied for tests. In particular, Cynthia always wins the spelling bee, but pretends that this was merely a matter of luck. However, Squeaky knows that Cynthia practices her piano scales early in the morning, and merely wants to seem as though she has too much natural talent to require any effort.

Gretchen Lewis

Gretchen is a girl who has recently moved to Squeaky’s school and has apparently been boasting that she will win the fifty-yard dash. The reader sees Gretchen through the eyes of Squeaky, who initially considers her an enemy and a threat. However, Gretchen actually does very little and even remains completely silent when she meets Squeaky and Raymond on Broadway. Squeaky interprets “this ventriloquist-dummy routine” as menacing and her smile as masking hostility. However, when the two girls are reconciled at the end of the story, it is easy to believe they will become friends, since Gretchen has never actually done anything to harm or insult Squeaky.

Mary Louise Williams

Mary Louise is a former friend of Squeaky’s, who now follows Gretchen around. When she moved from Baltimore to Harlem, Mary Louise was bullied, and Squeaky stood up...