Anthony Cross

Angela Murray

Angela's primary love interest, a white artist who represents both desire and racial tension.

Virginia Murray

A friendly acquaintance who becomes a bridge between Angela and her sister.

Jinny

Casual friends who interact through their mutual connection to Angela.

Paulette Lister

Fellow artists and acquaintances in the same bohemian circles.

Angela Murray

Angela's primary love interest, a white artist who represents both desire and racial tension.

Angela Murray

Angela's primary love interest, a white artist who represents both desire and racial tension.

Virginia Murray

A friendly acquaintance who becomes a bridge between Angela and her sister.

Virginia Murray

A friendly acquaintance who becomes a bridge between Angela and her sister.

Jinny

Casual friends who interact through their mutual connection to Angela.

Paulette Lister

Fellow artists and acquaintances in the same bohemian circles.

Paulette Lister

Fellow artists and acquaintances in the same bohemian circles.

Jinny

Casual friends who interact through their mutual connection to Angela.

I

Anthony is a young man in the art class, originally named Anthony Cruz, who comments on Angela's surname.

II

Anthony helps Angela move into her apartment and shares a dinner with her. He is described as serious, sad, and proud, with a slow dark gaze.

IV

Angela thinks of Anthony's deep respectful ardour after Roger's kiss, contrasting the two men.

V

Anthony spends time with Angela in Van Cortlandt Park, confessing his long-standing unhappiness and finding contentment only in her presence. He expresses his deep affection for her.

Plum Bun

Angela's love interest and fellow artist, representing a connection to her racial heritage.

I

Anthony meets Angela on the bus, expressing despair and giving her his address, though she is preoccupied.

II

Anthony is mentioned as a sallow, thin, brooding man whom Roger does not know well. Angela feels a resentment toward Roger's dismissive description, sensing that Anthony's difficult life justifies his brooding nature.

III

Anthony reminds Angela of the possibility of studying at Fontainebleau, but she dismisses it, though she hopes another student will win a prize to go.

IV

Angela cannot bring herself to dwell on the possibility of friendship with Anthony, feeling it sacrilegious given her current state.

III

Anthony is the object of Angela's longing; she imagines a future of shared struggle and happiness with him, and ultimately decides he is the one she wants.

IV

Anthony tells Angela the story of his father's lynching and his mother's trauma; he confesses his love but insists they cannot be together.

V

Anthony is initially cold and distant, but when Angela reveals she is colored, he is shocked and reveals that he too has been passing. His reaction is one of despair, as he realizes the complications this creates.

I

Helps with the committee to support Miss Powell; reveals he is Black during a tense meeting.

II

Angela thinks of him while reflecting on a shared life in a home.

III

Travels to Paris on Christmas Eve to deliver a present from Virginia and Matthew, expressing his enduring feelings for Angela.