Tangy Mae Quinn

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of physical and sexual abuse, child sex trafficking, lynching, infanticide, and segregation. The source material includes racial slurs and ableist and anti-gay language, which is replicated in this guide only in direct quotes. Tangy Mae Quinn is the novel’s <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/protagonist/">protagonist</a> and first-person narrator. She’s 13 at the beginning of the novel, and by the end, she’s 18. Tangy is smart, responsible, and academically motivated—qualities that please her teachers but do not always please her mother or siblings. Tangy is relentlessly loyal and loving toward her siblings, and sometimes, her mother uses Tangy’s loyalty and love to coerce her into being subjected to abuse without protest or resistance. Despite the extreme abuse and hardship Tangy endures, she remains incredibly resilient, a quality that she believes unites all of her mother’s children. Tangy illustrates <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Themes" href="https://www.supersummary.com/the-darkest-child/themes/#624591">The Complexities of Mother-Daughter Relationships Within Troubled Families</a> because she loves her mother despite her abusive tendencies, and she sticks around for longer than is technically necessary because she’s reluctant to leave her siblings at her mother’s mercy. However, ultimately, she realizes that her only real option is to leave. Tangy also illustrates <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Themes" href="https://www.

Rozelle Quinn

Mushy, Tarabelle, and Martha Jean Quinn

Edna, Laura, and Judy Quinn

Sam, Harvey, and Wallace Quinn

Pearl and Frank Garrison

Junior and Hambone

Angus Betts and Chadlow

Crow

Literary Area of Study

African American Literature

Values & Ideas

Books on Justice & Injustice

Life & Time

Childhood & Youth

Society

Class

Social Issues

Coming-of-Age Journeys

Relationships

Daughters & Sons

Equality

Family

Emotions & Behavior

Fear

Hate & Anger

Mothers

Sexuality

Pride Month Reads

Revenge

Truth & Lies

Delores Phillips

Novel

Fiction

Guide

Study Guide

Book Brief

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About The Darkest Child

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Chapters 1-13

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Chapters 14-23

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Chapters 24-35

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Chapters 36-48

The Darkest Child Chapters 36-48 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 49-62

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