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Ernestine (Sis)
Fonny’s father. Frank is quite unlike his wife, Mrs. Hunt, especially since he isn’t religious. Whereas Mrs. Hunt is a “sanctified woman,” he spends his time getting drunk, though things haven’t always been this way. In fact, Frank used to own a tailoring shop, but that eventually went out of business. In the years since this happened, there has been a stark divide in the Hunt family, as Frank’s daughters Adrienne and Sheila have taken after their mother and Fonny has taken after Frank. Mrs. Hunt and her daughters judge Frank and Fonny for their unreligious lifestyles, and so Frank is the only member of the family who truly comes to Fonny’s aid after he’s arrested. However, Frank has a quick temper and isn’t the most reliable person, which becomes all too clear when he slaps Mrs. Hunt across the face as she berates Tish after learning about her pregnancy. Luckily, Frank and Joseph are good friends, so Joseph takes him away from the apartment, promising they’ll get drunk to celebrate the fact that they’re both going to become grandfathers. Later, Frank agrees with Joseph’s idea to start stealing from work to make extra money for Fonny’s legal fees. Going about this plan, he filches goods from where he works in the garment district, successful selling them in Harlem and Brooklyn until he’s eventually caught by his employer and promptly fired. Feeling distraught about Fonny’s situation and unsupported by his own family, Frank drives out of the city and commits suicide.
Frank Hunt Quotes in If Beale Street Could Talk
The If Beale Street Could Talk quotes below are all either spoken by Frank Hunt or refer to Frank Hunt. 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 guess you call your lustful action love […]. I don’t. I always knew that you would be the destruction of my son. You have a demon in you—I always knew it. My God caused me to know it many a year ago. The Holy Ghost will cause that child to shrivel in your womb. But my son will be forgiven. My prayers will save him.
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Mrs. Hunt says this to Tish after learning that Tish is pregnant with Fonny’s child. In contrast to Frank, who expresses his happiness in response to the news, she speaks these venomous words while approaching Tish. “I guess you call your lustful action love,” she says, trying to make Tish feel ashamed for having had sex before getting married. This, o accords with Mrs. Hunt’s intense religious devotion, which she often lords over people in an attempt to feel superior (this has little to do with her actual religious faith and everything to do with her egomaniacal need to prove 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. Di
I know you worried about the money. But you let me worry about that. I got more experience. Anyway, you ain’t making no damn money. All you doing is wearing yourself out, and driving Fonny crazy. You keep on like you going, you going to lose that baby. You lose that baby, and Fonny won’t want to live no more, and you’ll be lost and then I’ll be lost, everything is lost.
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Joseph says this to Tish in a conversation in which he convinces her to quit her job. Seeing how much energy she’s expending simply trying to keep her job, he urges her to focus on her pregnancy, insisting that she doesn’t need to worry about money because he and Frank are taking care of the financial side of things. As such, he reminds her that she has a strong and loving support network. This, in turn, enables her to provide the same kind of emotional support to Fonny, who desperately needs any kind of attention that might bolster his psychological 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. Accus
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.
Zion Quotes
I opened my mouth to say—I don’t know what. When I opened my mouth, I couldn’t catch my breath. Everything disappeared, except my mother’s eyes. An incredible intelligence charged the air between us. Then, all I could see was Fonny. And then I screamed, and my time had come.
Fonny is working on the wood, on the stone, whistling, smiling. And, from far away, but coming nearer, the baby cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries, cries like it means to wake the dead.
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These are the last two paragraphs of If Beale Street Could Talk, and also the only subtle indications of what ends up happening to Tish and Fonny. In the first paragraph, Tish has just found out that Frank has committed suicide, but before she can even respond, she loses her breath and begins to go into labor. When she notes that “everything disappeared” except for Sharon’s eyes, Baldwin provides readers with an image that underlines the significance of motherhood. Indeed, Tish looks into her own mother’s eyes just when she herself is about to become a mother, thus finding strength 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. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Mo
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Frank Hunt Character Timeline in If Beale Street Could Talk
The timeline below shows where the character Frank Hunt appears in If Beale Street Could Talk. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Troubled About My Soul
...asking such a ridiculous question. After they both laugh, Fonny asks if Tish has told Frank—his father—yet, and she says Fonny is the first to know.
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...get more information about his condition by visiting his father’s tailor shop. When she entered, Frank kindly greeted her and made small talk, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask about...
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...they have intercourse, it is under the pretense that Mrs. Hunt is trying to bring Frank to Jesus, so that she ultimately convinces herself that she’s doing something holy by having...
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...the only 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...
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Judgmental and proper like their mother, Fonny’s sisters Adrienne and Sheila team up against Frank and Fonny, scorning them for their lack of religious faith. Worse, they blame Fonny and...
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...Suddenly in a good mood, Joseph says he hopes Tish has a boy, thinking that Frank would get a kick out of having a grandson. He then asks if he can...
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...reading and studying when he should have,” and Joseph quickly changes the topic by asking Frank if he brought beer.
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Joseph politely asks if Mrs. Hunt will mind if he and Frank have a drink, and she says, “Mind? Frank does not care if we mind. He...
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...stop and think about her brother. Then, when her hostility dies down, she looks at Frank and delivers her news, since he’s the only one she cares about telling. After a...
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Unlike Frank, Mrs. Hunt isn’t thrilled to hear about Tish’s pregnancy. “And who,” she says, “is going...
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After Frank slaps Mrs. Hunt, Sharon begs Joseph to take him out, and though he’s hesitant to...
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...leave, Tish goes to bed while Ernestine and Sharon stay up waiting for Joseph and Frank to return.
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As Tish and Ernestine have this conversation, Joseph and Frank have their own discussion in a separate bar. Talking about how bleak Fonny’s situation is,...
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...she understands that it’s important for her to visit Fonny whenever possible. Meanwhile, Joseph and Frank have started stealing from their jobs—Joseph from the waterfront, and Frank from the garment center....
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Zion
Fonny asks Tish if she’s seen Frank, and she says he’s been working a lot but that he’ll be coming to the...
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Joseph goes to Frank’s house to fill him in on what happened in Puerto Rico, saying, “The trial’s been...
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Frank continues to yell at his daughters, telling them that they would be out selling themselves...
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...hear Adrienne’s frantic voice on the other line. Frightened, Adrienne asks if Tish has seen Frank. Apparently, his boss fired him two days ago for stealing, and when he came home...
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Adrienne doesn’t trust Tish when she says she hasn’t seen Frank, but Tish assures her that she would never lie about something like this, promising to...
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...trouble in his voice. When Joseph finally makes his way inside, he tells Tish that Frank has been found “way, way, way up the river, in the woods, sitting in his...
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