Beulah is an African American woman working as a cleaning lady who feels trapped under the routine of her domestic life. She possesses a rich inner life and uses memories of her youthful independence as a mental escape while diligently performing her chores. Once a carefree girl who attended dances and kissed boys at the fair, she now feels restricted by the monotony of marriage and poverty.

Maurice is a figure from Beulah's past whom she kissed at a fair during her youth. His exact name eludes her for much of the poem. He represents a time of freedom, innocence, and self-determination before she entered married life.

Thomas is Beulah's husband, a migrant from Tennessee to Akron, Ohio, who holds a steady job at the Goodyear factory. While he works hard, the couple struggles financially. Beulah's marriage to him marks the end of her carefree youth and the beginning of her restrictive domestic life.

Beulah's father is a patriarchal figure in her life. He represents the transition of Beulah's identity from an independent girl to a married woman, as he formally gives her up along with her name on her wedding day.

The fish is a bright carnival prize that Beulah brings home in a clear bowl. When a winter chill blows the front door open, the fish freezes in a locket of ice. It survives the ordeal when Beulah places the bowl on the stove to melt the ice.