Carlene Character Analysis in On Beauty

Carlene is a Black British woman who devotes her life to her family, which consists of her husband, Monty, and her two children, Michael and Victoria. But despite Carlene’s warmth and seeming openness, she can also be secretive and mysterious, particularly toward Kiki, who wants to become friends with Carlene but doesn’t understand why Carlene seems to be avoiding her. After the Kippses move to Wellington, Kiki ends up becoming one of Carlene’s only friends outside her family. A conversation that Kiki and Carlene have about a nude Black woman in a Hyppolite painting suggests that Carlene (and Kiki) may have been suppressing queer romantic feelings throughout her life. Ultimately, however, Carlene remains a mystery to the other characters, as she dies from an aggressive form of cancer that she was hiding from everyone, even her immediate family. Carlene represents how the stereotype of the devoted conservative housewife is reductive, embodying how many women dedicate themselves to their families but hide their own struggles away.

Carlene Quotes in On Beauty

The On Beauty quotes below are all either spoken by Carlene or refer to Carlene. 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:

Kiki slapped the table. ‘Oh, God, this isn’t 1910 – Jerome can marry who the hell he wants to marry – or are we going to start making up visiting cards and asking him to meet only the daughters of academics that you happen to –’

‘Might the address be in the green moleskin?’

Related Characters: Howard (speaker), Kiki (speaker), Monty, Carlene, Victoria, Jerome

Page Number and Citation: 15

Explanation and Analysis:

‘It’s about trying,’ said Michael keenly – the topic seemed to animate him. ‘It’s like, if you put the effort in. And I spose my mum’s always been at home, which makes a lot of difference, I think. Having the mother figure and all that. Nurturing. It’s like a Caribbean ideal – a lot of people lose sight of it.’

Related Characters: Michael (speaker), Carlene, Victoria, Howard, Monty

Page Number and Citation: 35

Explanation and Analysis:

‘She’s fabulous,’ replied Kiki, only now taking the time to look at her properly. In the centre of the frame there was a tall, naked black woman wearing only a red bandanna and standing in a fantastical white space, surrounded all about by tropical branches and kaleidoscopic fruit and flowers. Four pink birds, one green parrot. Three humming birds. Many brown butterflies. It was painted in a primitive, childlike style, everything flat on the canvas. No perspective, no depth.

Related Characters: Kiki (speaker), Howard, Carlene, Monty

Related Symbols: The Hyppolite Painting

Page Number and Citation: 174

Explanation and Analysis:

‘But your class – your class is a cult classic. I love your class. Your class is all about never ever saying I like the tomato. That’s why so few people take it – I mean, no offence, it’s a compliment.’

Related Characters: Victoria (speaker), Howard, Carlene

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 312

Explanation and Analysis:

Carlene Character Timeline in On Beauty

The timeline below shows where the character Carlene appears in On Beauty. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...in business. Monty’s beautiful daughter Victoria has been away on a train trip across Europe. Carlene, Monty’s wife, gives Jerome a lot of food and likes to pray. (full context)

Michael angrily storms home and confronts Jerome. Carlene intervenes and says that Jerome’s engagement with Victoria is already off. Michael is surprised to... (full context)

Howard is surprised that Carlene is older than Kiki, since he figured Monty would have a “trophy” wife. Carlene explains... (full context)

Carlene tells Howard it was wonderful to have Jerome stay with them. Howard wonders if he... (full context)

...music on his headphones. All of a sudden, a thin older woman with unkempt hair (Carlene) stops him. She says he looks familiar and asks if he lives in the area.... (full context)

The woman (Carlene) says she’d like to see Levi’s mom, believing she must be glamorous. Levi says she’ll... (full context)

...on the way). As Kiki listens to Levi describe the woman, she realizes that it’s Carlene, meaning the Kippses now live in their neighborhood. She feels she has to invite them... (full context)

...Kiki decides to go directly to the Kipps house to invite them to the party. Carlene is happy to see Kiki and says that Jerome and Levi are both so handsome.... (full context)

Carlene asks Kiki what she thinks of Carlene’s house. Nobody has ever asked Kiki this question... (full context)

Carlene and Kiki begin talking about poetry, and Carlene asks Kiki if she’s an intellectual like... (full context)

...she goes to answer it and finds the Kipps family: Monty, Michael, and Victoria—but not Carlene. Zora doesn’t know where Howard is. She and the Kipps family make small talk about... (full context)

Eventually, Kiki comes over to greet the Kippses. She asks about Carlene’s absence, and Monty explains that Carlene rarely attends events. Howard is having a discussion with... (full context)

...go back to after all) to ask if he noticed anything strange about Monty and Carlene’s relationship. Whenever Kiki calls, Jerome always sounds like he’s just waking up. Jerome discourages Kiki... (full context)

Kiki goes to the Kippses and finally sees Carlene in person again. Carlene has been busy alphabetizing books on a bookshelf for the past... (full context)

Kiki and Carlene talk about Jerome and Victoria, agreeing that it’s good the two of them haven’t seen... (full context)

Kiki and Carlene talk about the past, and Kiki says she used to have big dreams, like helping... (full context)

Carlene notices Kiki staring at one of her paintings of a naked Black woman by Hyppolite... (full context)

Kiki says maybe her mistake was marrying a man in the first place. Carlene asks if there was ever really any other option in life, and Kiki mentions that... (full context)

...finds it ironic that Monty is so conservative when his best friend is gay, and Carlene admits that she sees the humor in it. They talk more about their children, with... (full context)

Kiki says she might go see Carlene again. Zora seems reluctant about this. She eventually mentions that Monty has been writing more... (full context)

...white folk get excited about.” Zora mentions that Kiki has been seeing a lot of Carlene, which Jerome already knows from Kiki’s phone calls. She also mentions how Monty is starting... (full context)

...plenty of dull holiday parties, and Kiki is always disappointed to that she never sees Carlene with Monty at them. Finally, one day Kiki gets a note from Carlene suggesting a... (full context)

Carlene enjoys Christmas shopping, but Kiki doesn’t really like any kind of shopping. Carlene and Monty... (full context)

Carlene says maybe Kiki should make the trip to Amherst with them, since Kiki likes Edward... (full context)

...don’t celebrate Christmas. It’s a peaceful trip until Kiki gets a call from Michael that Carlene is dead and the funeral will be in London. Kiki is in shock because she... (full context)

Carlene was dealing with an aggressive cancer that no one else in the family knew about.... (full context)

As the Belseys drive to North London for Carlene’s funeral, Zora thinks the neighborhood looks very shabby. Jerome, however, is impressed by the diversity... (full context)

...before and finds the whole experience strange, particularly the decrepit church. Jerome assures him that Carlene came to this church all the time and would’ve wanted her funeral there. Meanwhile, Howard... (full context)

...over. Afterward, Monty talks to Kiki about how she was such a good friend to Carlene but also how because Carlene was so generous it was possible for people to take... (full context)

...as her, so he took her on as an intern. Kiki says that everything with Carlene’s death must have been a terrible shock to Chantelle, and Chantelle agrees that it was. (full context)

Carlene is buried in an old Catholic cemetery dating back to Victorian times. The Belseys know... (full context)

...to ask about Kiki and his children’s whereabouts. Howard learns that they’re all supposedly at Carlene’s wake. Howard takes a cab, and after struggling to give the cabbie the correct direction,... (full context)

...continues to go on about how Kiki must have been special to become friends with Carlene. Howard doesn’t give a straight answer, and Victoria says he’s talking abstractly, just like he... (full context)

...and runs into Victoria for the first time since he had sex with her at Carlene’s wake. (full context)

...still angry, saying she knows for a fact that the painting really did belong to Carlene and that she had it even before she got married. (full context)

...him not to tear it, but it turns out he’s just removing a note that Carlene left, where she tells Kiki that she hopes she enjoys the painting and that it... (full context)

On Beauty

Carlene Character Analysis

Carlene Quotes in On Beauty

Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 2 Quotes

Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 4 Quotes

The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 5 Quotes

On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 4 Quotes

Carlene Character Timeline in On Beauty