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Fonny’s mother and Frank’s resentful wife. Mrs. Hunt is a highly religious woman who disapproves of Tish and her family’s lifestyle, believing that Tish has ruined her son’s life because she has a “demon” in her. In keeping with this, she tells Tish that her and Fonny’s child is going “shrivel in [her] womb.” When she says this, Frank stands up and slaps her to the floor, not caring that she has a “weak heart.” As Adrienne and Sheila—Mrs. Hunt’s loyal daughters—crowd around her, Joseph takes Frank to a bar to remove him from the situation, leaving the women alone as they continue to argue about Tish’s pregnancy. By the end of this conversation, it becomes clear that Mrs. Hunt and her daughters will have nothing to do with Tish and Fonny’s child. What’s more, readers get the sense that Mrs. Hunt doesn’t care what happens to Fonny, since he has taken after his father and thus leads a lifestyle of which she disapproves.
Mrs. Hunt Quotes in If Beale Street Could Talk
The If Beale Street Could Talk quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Hunt or refer to Mrs. 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:
).
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
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.
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Mrs. Hunt Character Timeline in If Beale Street Could Talk
The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. 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
...ask about Fonny. Sensing what she wanted to know, though, Frank indicated that Fonny’s mother, Mrs. Hunt , sent him to spend time with relatives in “the country,” and he promised to...
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...husband because he refuses to conform to her religious lifestyle. This, Tish thinks, is why Mrs. Hunt is extra hard on Fonny, which only drives him away from her. Indeed, Fonny forms...
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...distanced from one another. Each night 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...
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One day before their romantic relationship begins, Tish goes to church with Fonny and Mrs. Hunt . Her own family isn’t particularly religious, and Tish can sense that Mrs. Hunt judges...
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...about this, the Hunts arrive at her parents’ apartment. Right away, Tish can tell that Mrs. Hunt —in all her religious glory—is “frightened,” clearly dreading whatever it is Tish and her family...
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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...
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Unlike Frank, Mrs. Hunt isn’t thrilled to hear about Tish’s pregnancy. “And who,” she says, “is going to responsible...
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After Frank slaps Mrs. Hunt , Sharon begs Joseph to take him out, and though he’s hesitant to leave, he...
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...out her Adam’s apple. As this dispute continues, the Hunt women prepare to leave, and Mrs. Hunt says she hopes Sharon is “pleased with the way” her daughters behave, adding that her...
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Standing in Mrs. Hunt ’s way, Tish finishes her sentence, saying, “That child is in my belly. Now, you...
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...in a long time. However, he also says that the D.A. has been talking to Mrs. Hunt , Adrienne, and Sheila, who have been saying that “Fonny has always been incorrigible and...
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