# Sandy — Not Without Laughter character guide > Sandy in Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Sandy the papa, Casey Jones, ma little Sandy, Sandy chile, Annjelica Rodgers Sandy **First appearance:** 0000-i-storm ## Snapshot A watchful boy sweeping hotel lobbies and shining shoes in Stanton, Kansas, who studies the adults around him to figure out how people become great. ## Who they are Sandy moves between his grandmother's washtubs, his mother's kitchen shifts, and the hotel where he runs errands for tips, absorbing the town's color lines and class lines as he goes. He wonders what his wandering father and absent mother are doing in another town, and whether they want him with them. His quiet noticing holds the novel's world together, making him the lens through which three generations of a family and a community come into focus. ## Relationships ### [Annjee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/annjee) _family_ Annjee is Sandy's mother, often distant due to her work and personal struggles, but she loves him deeply. ### [Aunt Hager Williams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/aunt_hager_williams) _family_ Aunt Hager is Sandy's grandmother and primary caregiver, providing him with moral and spiritual guidance. ### [Moses Jenkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/moses_jenkins) _family_ Moses Jenkins is Sandy's grandfather, a stern but loving figure who teaches him about hard work and pride. ### [Ma Bailey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/ma_bailey) _family_ Ma Bailey is Sandy's great-grandmother, a wise and nurturing elder who offers him comfort and wisdom. ### [Harriett](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/harriett) _family_ Harriett is Sandy's aunt, a rebellious and free-spirited woman who both challenges and inspires him. ### [Jimboy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/jimboy) _family_ Jimboy is Sandy's father, an itinerant musician whose absence creates longing but also admiration in Sandy. ### [Pansetta Young](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/pansetta_young) _friendship_ Pansetta is a childhood friend of Sandy, sharing innocent adventures and early experiences of youth. ### [Buster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/buster) _friendship_ Buster is Sandy's close friend and companion, often getting into mischief together in their neighborhood. ### [Jimmy Lane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/jimmy_lane) _friendship_ Jimmy Lane is a school friend of Sandy, representing a more middle-class perspective that contrasts with Sandy's upbringing. ### [Aunt Hager Williams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/aunt_hager_williams) _family_ Aunt Hager is Sandy's grandmother and primary caregiver, providing him with moral and spiritual guidance. ### [Annjee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/annjee) _family_ Annjee is Sandy's mother, often distant due to her work and personal struggles, but she loves him deeply. ### [Ma Bailey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/ma_bailey) _family_ Ma Bailey is Sandy's great-grandmother, a wise and nurturing elder who offers him comfort and wisdom. ## In the story ### [Storm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/i-storm) Sandy clings to his grandmother during the storm, fears for his mother's safety, and waits alone on the steps until Annjee arrives. ### [Conversation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/ii-conversation) Sandy wakes up, plays with Buster and Willie-Mae, and receives a letter from Jimboy. ### [Jimboy's Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/iii-jimboy-s-letter) Eagerly eats lemon pie and hopes Jimboy brings him a gun; falls asleep on the kitchen floor. ### [Thursday Afternoon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/iv-thursday-afternoon) Helps carry the laundry basket with Jimmy Lane; observes the confrontation between Hager and Harriett. ### [Guitar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/v-guitar) Dreams while listening to the songs, then is sent to bed by Annjee. ### [Work](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/vi-work) Sandy goes fishing with Jimboy in the morning, then helps his mother Annjee at Mrs. Rice's house in the evening, where he feels angry and ashamed when she is scolded by the white mistress. ### [VII: White Folks](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/vii-white-folks) Plays in the yard with Willie-Mae, catches fireflies, listens to the adults' conversation, and is sent inside to fetch a match for Sister Johnson's pipe. ### [Dance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/viii-dance) Eagerly accompanies Harriett and Mingo to the dance, falls asleep in the balcony, and is woken at four in the morning. ### [Carnival](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/ix-carnival) Accidentally steps on a rusty nail, is taken to the carnival by Jimboy, and later witnesses Harriett's departure. ### [X: Punishment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/x-punishment) The protagonist, a young boy navigating childhood adventures, chores, and a moral crisis after lying about his Sunday School money. ### [XI: School](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xi-school) Enters the fifth grade, experiences racial segregation in the classroom, excels in spelling bee, and feels hurt by the teacher's discriminatory seating. ### [XII: Hard Winter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xii-hard-winter) Helps with chores, hopes for a Golden Flyer sled, and is whipped for buying the wrong meat. ### [XIII: Christmas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xiii-christmas) Sandy is hopeful for a sled for Christmas but understands the family's poverty. He observes his mother's secret efforts and feels lonely on Christmas Eve. ### [Return](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xiv-return) Passes midyear tests and advances to fifth A; feels ashamed of his sled; helps deliver newspapers; joyfully greets Harriett's return. ### [One by One](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xv-one-by-one) Plays with Buster, overhears conversations about race, and dreams about the future while lying in bed. ### [Nothing but Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xvi-nothing-but-love) Listens to Aunt Hager's stories on the porch, leaning on her legs or lying on the floor. ### [Barbershop](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xvii-barbershop) Works at the barbershop shining shoes and sweeping; learns to handle jokes about his hair. ### [Children's Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xviii-children-s-day) Sandy saves money for a suit, attends school and Sunday School, works at the barbershop, and experiences racial exclusion at the park. He receives a letter from his mother and reflects on the injustice. ### [XIX: Ten Dollars and Costs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xix-ten-dollars-and-costs) Takes a new job at the Drummer's Hotel, quits Pete Scott's barbershop, and discovers his aunt Harriett's arrest, feeling lonely and wishing she would come home. ### [XX: Hey, Boy!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xx-hey-boy) Works at the Drummer's Hotel, shining shoes and cleaning spittoons; defies a white man's demand to dance and flees after throwing his box. ### [Note to Harriett](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxi-note-to-harriett) Delivers a note to Harriett in the Bottoms, sends a telegram to Annjee, and stays by Aunt Hager's side as she falls ill. ### [Beyond the Jordan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxii-beyond-the-jordan) Grieves at the funeral and afterward; is taken by Tempy to live with her. ### [Tempy's House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxiii-tempy-s-house) Sandy moves in with Tempy and Mr. Siles after his grandmother's death. He is given his own room and a bathroom with running water for the first time. Tempy corrects his speech and manners, and she outfits him with new clothes from a major department store. ### [A Shelf of Books](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxiv-a-shelf-of-books) Sandy recovers from mumps, begins reading widely, wins an essay prize, and starts a job at Mr. Prentiss's shop. He also develops a crush on Pansetta Young and is tempted by Buster to go to the pool hall. ### [Pool Hall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxv-pool-hall) Finds the pool hall an easy and amusing escape from Tempy's prim plans; listens to Uncle Dan's stories and reads about Harriett's success. ### [XXVI: The Doors of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxvi-the-doors-of-life) Sandy is in his second year of high school, staying out late, studying until midnight, and struggling with insomnia. He thinks deeply about war, race, love, and his future, feeling trapped by racial barriers. ### [XXVII: Beware of Women](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxvii-beware-of-women) Struggles with his feelings for Pansetta and his aunt's advice; decides to reconcile but finds her with Jimmy Lane. ### [Chicago](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxviii-chicago) Travels to Chicago, reunites with his mother, and begins adjusting to city life. ### [Elevator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxix-elevator) Works as an elevator boy, feels trapped by the monotony, and resolves to return to school despite his mother's opposition. ### [Princess of the Blues](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxx-princess-of-the-blues) Attends Harriett's show with Annjee, works an elevator job, and is determined to return to school despite his mother's objections. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters/sandy - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/not_without_laughter_se/characters