Macon Dead - Milkman’s father. He is a landlord of poor housing.

Pilate Dead - Macon’s sister. She sells wine.

Guitar Baines - Milkman’s best friend. He is one of seven men-- called the Seven Days--who kill random European Americans in retaliation for murders of African Americans. In the end he tries to kill Milkman.

Robert Smith - the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance agent

who tries to fly from the top of Mercy hospital to the other side of

Lake Superior. One of the Seven Days.

Ruth Foster Dead - Milkman’s mother.

First Corinthians - Milkman’s sister.x

Magdelena Dead - Milkman’s sister, who is called Lena.

Freddie, the janitor - a man who works for the Deads. He is the one who names Ruth’s son Milkman. He is the unofficial town crier.

Mrs. Bains - Guitar’s grandmother who asks Macon Dead for an extension on her rent.

Porter - one of Macon Dead’s tenants. He goes crazy and cries out his window for a woman to have sex with. He becomes Corinthian Dead’s lover years later and i

By the time Milkman is fourteen he notices that one of his legs is shorter than the other by about one half an inch. He compensates for it in many ways such as adopting a particular walk, dancing in a stiff legged way, crossing his leg in only one way, and he never tells anyone about it. Macon is delighted to have his son helping him at the office. It means he doesn’t have to go collect rents, which he always felt lowered his dignity, and frees him up to plan and visit the bank men. Now that the war is going on in 1945,

On the day Mr. Smith jumped from the roof of Mercy hospital, the hospital admitted its first African-American expectant mother. A pregnant woman was there in the crowd that morning along with her two half-grown daughters who were carrying baskets of velvet

Before Guitar leaves, Milkman asks him what has been going on with him lately. He tells Guitar he’s been "making some funny smoke screens lately." Guitar doesn’t answer him and jokes with Milkman about asking his guest to clean up after she leaves so he doesn’t find Milkman’s severed head messing up the apartment the next day. Guitar leaves. He has a meeting planned with six old men.

Some topics in this essay:
Milkman Guitar, Lake Superior, Pilate Guitar, Railroad Tommy, African Americans, Jews Catholics, Dead Packard, African American, Seven Days, Milkman Mary’s, seven days, milkman guitar, mercy hospital, doctor street, african americans, tells milkman, robert smith, dead milkman’s, macon dead, people call, carolina mutual life, north carolina mutual, robert smith north, doctor street people, african american killed,