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Joseph
Tish’s older sister. Ernestine is a confident and persuasive young woman who works as an advocate for sick and neglected children. Because of this job, she has many connections with lawyers, which is how she convinces Mr. Hayward to take on Fonny’s case. Like her parents, Ernestine is supportive of Tish, doing whatever she can to make her younger sister maintain a sense of hope while she’s pregnant and while Fonny’s in jail. This often means reminding Tish to meet life’s challenges with pride, which she does by telling her to “unbow” her head after informing their parents of her pregnancy.
Ernestine (Sis) Quotes in If Beale Street Could Talk
The If Beale Street Could Talk quotes below are all either spoken by Ernestine (Sis) or refer to Ernestine (Sis). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Troubled About My Soul Quotes
I felt the way I’d felt all day, alone with my trouble. Nobody could help me, not even Sis. Because she was certainly determined to help me, I knew that. But maybe I realized that she was frightened, too, although she was trying to sound calm and tough.
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Before Tish tells Ernestine about her pregnancy, Ernestine asks her when she’s going to visit Hayward, Fonny’s lawyer. She also says that she should tell Hayward to contact her (Ernestine) if he asks for more money, and when Tish asks why, she says that Hayward will be more straightforward with her. Despite the fact that Ernestine is trying to help, this conversation makes Tish feel “alone with [her] trouble,” as if nothing anyone does will truly change her predicament. This, of course, is somewhat true, since it’s obviously the case that nothing Ernestine says to Hayward will change the fact Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus pos
She moved away from me a little and put my glass in my hand. “Unbow your head, sister,” she said, and raised her glass and touched mine. “Save the children,” she said, very quietly, and drained her glass.
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After Tish and her mother tell Ernestine and Joseph that she’s pregnant, Tish unintentionally drops her head as the family talks about the baby. Unlike Sharon and Ernestine, Joseph is somewhat skeptical at first, clearly disturbed by the idea of his young daughter giving birth to a child while her lover is in jail. However, Ernestine sees the effect his hesitancy has on Tish, and so she goes to her sister and gives her a drink. When she says, “Unbow your head, sister,” she does so as a way of making sure that Tish doesn’t approach her own pregnancy with Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. U
And Mrs. Hunt added, “These girls won’t be bringing me no bastards to feed, I can guarantee you that.”
“But the child that’s coming,” said Sharon, after a moment, “is your grandchild. I don’t understand you. It’s your grandchild. What difference does it make how it gets here? The child ain’t got nothing to do with that—don’t none of us have nothing to do with that!"
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Before Mrs. Hunt and her daughters finish arguing with Tish and her family members, Mrs. Hunt tries to shame Sharon for the way she has raised Tish and Ernestine, who have both been vocal about their disdain for the Hunt women. By saying that her daughters won’t give birth to “bastards,” Mrs. Hunt tries to make Tish feel guilty about the fact that she has become pregnant before marrying Fonny. What’s ridiculous about this statement, though, is that Fonny’s imprisonment is the only reason they’re not already married—something Mrs. Hunt surely already knows but is currently choosing to ignore. In Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est.
Will you listen to me? Please? Of course, she’s lying. We know she’s lying. But—she’s—not—lying. As far as she’s concerned, Fonny raped her and that’s that, and now she hasn’t got to deal with it anymore. It’s over. For her. If she changes her testimony, she’ll go mad. Or become another woman. And you know how often people go mad, and how rarely they change.
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Ernestine says this to Tish in a discussion about how they’re going to go about getting Victoria Rogers to change her testimony. In this moment, Ernestine prepares Tish for the very good possibility that Mrs. Rogers will refuse to alter what she has already said about the case. To do this, she tells her sister that Mrs. Rogers isn’t lying, and when Tish voices her surprise, she clarifies that Mrs. Rogers isn’t telling the truth, either. This is because she (Mrs. Rogers) actively believes that Fonny is the man who raped her. “As far as she’s concerned,” Ernestine says, “Fonny Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Qui
We are certainly in it now, and it may get worse. It will, certainly—and now something almost as hard to catch as a whisper in a crowded place, as light and as definite as a spider’s web, strikes below my ribs, stunning and astonishing my heart—get worse. But that light tap, that kick, that signal, announces to me that what can get worse can get better. Yes. It will get worse. But the baby, turning for the first time in its incredible veil of water, announces its presence and claims me; tells me, in that instant, that what can get worse can get better; and that what can get better can get worse. In the meantime—forever—it is entirely up to me. The baby cannot get here without me.
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After Tish has a frank talk with Ernestine about the rather depressing details of Fonny’s upcoming trial, she sits in a bar and feels her baby kick. When this happens, she feels as if the kick is a reminder that things can “get worse.” After all, the sudden movement surprises her—“stunning” her “heart”—and forces her to consider once again that she will most likely give birth before Fonny is released from jail. As a result, the internal clock that has been ticking throughout the entire novel comes to the forefront of her consciousness, making it impossible for her to ignore Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in.
My presence, which is of no practical value whatever, which can even be considered, from a practical point of view, as a betrayal, is vastly more important than any practical thing I might be doing. Every day, when he sees my face, he knows, again, that I love him—and God knows I do, more and more, deeper and deeper, with every hour. But it isn’t only that. It means that others love him, too, love him so much that they have set me free to be there. He is not alone; we are not alone.
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When Tish finally quits her job, she discovers that her mere “presence” has a profound effect on Fonny’s happiness. She, for her part, knows that her “presence” is “of no practical value whatever,” even suggesting that it could be seen as a “betrayal,” since her ability to see Fonny every day is the result of her decision to quit her job, meaning that she has willingly chosen to stop earning money to help get Fonny out of jail. However, this is seemingly a worthwhile sacrifice, since her daily visits fill Fonny with love, showing him not only that she loves Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis.
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Ernestine (Sis) Character Timeline in If Beale Street Could Talk
The timeline below shows where the character Ernestine (Sis) appears in If Beale Street Could Talk. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Troubled About My Soul
...knows her mother, Sharon, won’t be upset by the news, nor will her older sister, Ernestine. However, she isn’t sure what her father, Joseph, will think. Thankfully, Sharon is the first...
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...one who can make sure her baby arrives safely, Sharon says that she, Frank, and Ernestine will take care of everything else. What’s more, she adds that Fonny “needs that baby”...
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When Ernestine comes home, she says, “Where’s Jezebel?” This is what she has started calling her younger...
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Tish tells Ernestine that she plans to see Mr. Hayward on Monday, and Ernestine says she should tell...
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...into his face. “That’s a hell of a note,” he finally says, drinking his brandy. Ernestine then comes over to Tish and holds her, crying and smiling at her without uttering...
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...The family stops talking for a moment, each person thinking about the baby, and then Ernestine breaks the silence, saying, “Unbow your head, sister.” When Tish looks up, they toast “to...
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...says once again that she will be responsible for her and Fonny’s child, and then Ernestine threatens Adrienne, saying that if she continues to bother Tish, she’ll rip out her Adam’s...
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...it wouldn’t be “the first child” Mrs. Hunt has “tried to kill.” After a moment, Ernestine moves Tish out of the way, informing the Hunt women that she, Sharon, and Tish...
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...Unsurprisingly, Joseph is angry that Tish has been out so late, and though Sharon and Ernestine quickly accept the idea of Tish marrying Fonny, he remains hesitant at first, asking Fonny...
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...so that she can spray the perfume on their skin. After work, she walks with Ernestine along Eighth Avenue until Ernestine insists that they duck into a bar for a frank...
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...much too far to run. Despite how clear it is that Fonny isn’t guilty, though, Ernestine points out that it doesn’t matter what the truth is. When Tish asks if she...
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Tish asks Ernestine why she thinks Mrs. Rogers identified Fonny, and Ernestine states the simple fact that Fonny...
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Ernestine says she has a plan. Since she knows Officer Bell killed a black boy in...
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As Tish and Ernestine have this conversation, Joseph and Frank have their own discussion in a separate bar. Talking...
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Zion
As Tish loses herself in her thoughts, Sharon says Ernestine has managed to drum up the necessary money for Fonny’s bail. As she explains this,...
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