# Emma Lou Morgan — The Blacker the Berry character guide > Emma Lou Morgan in The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Emma Lou, Lou, Louie **First appearance:** 0003-part-i-emma-lou ## Snapshot A sharp, lonely Black girl from Boise who learns early that her dark skin is treated as a curse, and carries that wound into every room she enters. ## Who they are Emma Lou graduates as the only Negro pupil in her high school, dressed in white and placed conspicuously on stage, already certain her complexion is a liability rather than a fact of life. Her fair-skinned family has spent years trying to bleach, scour, and powder her darkness away, teaching her to grieve a body she cannot change. That inherited shame shapes everything: her hunger for acceptance, her reflexive contempt for darker people, and her determination to escape Boise for a world she imagines will judge her differently. ## Relationships ### [Alva Junior](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/alva_junior) _romantic_ Alva is Emma Lou's love interest and later fiancé, but their relationship is fraught with his colorism and infidelity. ### [Gwendolyn Johnson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/gwendolyn_johnson) _friendship_ Gwendolyn is Emma Lou's close friend and confidante during her college years at USC. ### [Arline Strange](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/arline_strange) _rivalry_ Arline is a light-skinned rival who taunts and belittles Emma Lou for her dark skin color. ### [Weldon Taylor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/weldon_taylor) _romantic_ Weldon is a suitor who shows interest in Emma Lou but ultimately rejects her due to her dark skin. ### [Benson Brown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/benson_brown) _friendship_ Benson is a fellow student and friend who offers Emma Lou support and companionship. ### [Braxton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/braxton) _social_ Braxton is an acquaintance from Emma Lou's social circle, often present in group settings. ### [Uncle Joe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/uncle_joe) _family_ Uncle Joe is Emma Lou's supportive uncle who provides her with guidance and a place to stay. ### [Hazel Mason](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/hazel_mason) _friendship_ Hazel is a friend and peer from Emma Lou's social network in Harlem. ### [Grace Giles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/grace_giles) _friendship_ Grace is a friend and fellow teacher who socializes with Emma Lou. ### [Miss Morgan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/miss_morgan) _family_ Miss Morgan is Emma Lou's mother, with whom she has a strained relationship due to colorism. ### [Verne Davis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/verne_davis) _friendship_ Verne is a friend from Emma Lou's college days who remains in contact with her. ### [Jasper Crane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/jasper_crane) _romantic_ Jasper is a brief romantic interest who ultimately proves shallow and colorist. ## In the story ### [The Blacker the Berry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/chapters/the-blacker-the-berry) Protagonist introduced as a dark-skinned young woman grappling with colorism and self-hatred. ### [Part I: Emma Lou](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/chapters/part-i-emma-lou) The protagonist, a dark-skinned Black girl graduating from high school in Boise, deeply troubled by her complexion and the color prejudice she faces from her own family and community. ### [Part II: Harlem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/chapters/part-ii-harlem) Emma Lou reflects on her affair with John, her move to Harlem, and her job search. She is self-conscious about her dark skin and struggles with feelings of rejection and belonging. ### [Part III: Alva](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/chapters/part-iii-alva) Intensifies her self-hatred, experiments with skin bleaching, and obsessively searches for the man she danced with. ### [Part IV: Rent Party](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/chapters/part-iv-rent-party) Continues to be consumed by color consciousness, feeling insulted by a cabaret song and suspicious of Alva's fidelity. ### [Part V: Pyrrhic Victory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/chapters/part-v-pyrrhic-victory) Now a teacher, she is isolated and paranoid among colleagues, living with Alva and caring for Alva Junior, while reflecting on her color-consciousness and exploitation. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters/emma_lou_morgan - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/characters