In the story, Dee is a young educated black woman who is attempting to reclaim her heritage; which she previously shunned. She is educated, confident, and successful. Dee has never been satisfied with her upbringing. She hated her simple farm life and thought that by improving herself and everyone around her, she could bear living there long enough until she got out, and as her mother recalled in the story, “And Dee. I see her standing off under the sweet gum tree she used to dig gum out of; a look of concentration on her face as she watched the last dingy gray board of the house fall in toward the red-hot brick chimney. Why don’t you do a dance around the ashes? I’d wanted to ask her. She hated that house so much”. Her mother knowing that “Dee wanted nice things” wanted to contribute to her dreams did what she could by raising enough money to afford to send Dee to a school in Augusta.
Overshadowed by Dee, was Dee’s younger sister, Maggie. Maggie was very different from Dee. She was nervous and ashamed of the way she looked. She had extensive scarring on her legs and arms as a result of a house fire during her childhood. Because of this, Maggie’s presence was reserved and apprehensive. “Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog