The Amen Corner

Luke is Margaret’s estranged husband. Margaret left him 10 years ago after their daughter was born dead. All the church knows about him is that he is a musician and abuses alcohol: The “[l]ast time anybody heard about him, he was real sick with TB. Everybody thought he was dead” (24). He is still sick when he shows up to see Margaret and David, and his impending death raises the stakes for him and the other characters in the play.

Luke knows that he is going to die, and his main objective is to reconcile with Margaret and David. Since Margaret leaves for Philadelphia, Luke has the chance to connect with David first. They have an instant bond over their shared love of music. David started to investigate exactly what kind of musician Luke is. He tells Luke, “You was right up there with the best, Jellyroll Mortan and Louis Armstrong and cats like that” (41). Luke loves music but has regrets about not prioritizing family more. He tries to warn David that music won’t bring him as much joy if he doesn’t have people to share that joy with him.

Like Margaret, Luke is stubborn and unwilling to budge when he thinks he is right. Since he knows he is dying, he is unrelentless in finding out the truth about why Margaret left. He still loves her deeply and was devastated when she left him. His stubbornness, along with his softness for her, helps Margaret find herself again by the end of the play.

David is the 18-year-old son of Margaret and Luke. He is beloved by all at church and typically keeps to himself. Margaret says of her son, “Poor David. He don’t talk much, but he feel a whole lot” (53). She can intuit that even though he won’t say everything that’s going on in his life, there’s a lot more he is working through than he lets on. What she doesn’t realize is that he’s trying to navigate whether he should leave the church or not. He is tormented by what he was raised to believe about God and what a life outside of the church has to offer.

David connects with Luke over music. He tells his dad, “That was why I started playing the piano. I used to go to sleep dreaming about the way we’d play together one day, me with my piano and you with your trombone” (41). For years, David has been taught not to think about Luke, but there was always a link between them that couldn’t be fully severed. After speaking to Luke, David starts to find the strength within himself to stand up to Margaret and announce his plans to leave.

Through David, Baldwin explores the theme of Coming of Age in a Religious Household. David can see two paths in life through each of his parents and decides that he wants more. He resembles Baldwin’s own journey of being raised by a pastor; being scolded for going out with white friends, seeing movies, and other “worldly” pastimes; and eventually leaving the church to uplift Black voices through an art form.

Odessa is a member of the church and a fiercely loyal friend of Margaret’s. This is seen best when the other members of the church threaten to remove Margaret from her position as pastor. Odessa makes it known that she will not hold her tongue if it means protecting her friend.

At heart, Odessa is a caretaker. When Luke arrives, he says, “Odessa, you ain’t never going to change. Everytime you see a man, you think you got to go digging for some pork chops” (28). She does her best to keep up the appearance of a Godly woman who has it all together. She is the one who spent money on the Frigidaire before she and Margaret paid rent, illustrating how Sister Moore values superficial appearances. The Frigidaire makes it seem as if they have their lives sorted out, even if they don’t.

Through Odessa, Baldwin illustrates The Church’s Hypocrisy. Like Margaret, she starts to see some of the pretenses in the church, both within other congregation members and within herself and Margaret. Her attempts to be a perfect woman who takes care of everything are proven to be illusion. Both she and Margaret fall from great heights and are proven to be human. As Odessa recognizes their humanity, she begins to become disgusted with the hypocrisy of the people who used to be her friends.

Sister Moore is a member of the church who never married and takes great pride in it. She boasts, “I ain’t never been sweet on no man but the Lord Jesus Christ” (22). Her attitude toward men is encouraged by Margaret’s wrathful sermons, which illustrate the Tension Between Men and Women.

Sister Moore parrots some of the beliefs that keep Margaret from being with her family. When Odessa makes a plea for Margaret to maintain her position as pastor, Sister Moore refuses. She says, “If we want to reign with him in glory, we ain’t supposed to put nobody before Him” (73). She and the other people of the church twist the Bible to fit their own narrative. They want to remove Margaret from power, so they find a reason for God to tell them they should. Sister Moore’s pride prevents her from having empathy for a woman she once claimed to love and respect.

Brother Boxer is one of the primary church members who drives the action of the play. Through him, Baldwin reveals Margaret’s character. When Margaret condemns Brother Boxer’s job of driving a liquor truck, she comes across as sanctimonious, rigid, and uncompassionate. Though Brother Boxer makes multiple attempts to get her approval, Margaret won’t budge. Over the course of the play, Brother Boxer grows bitter not only toward Margaret but also toward having a woman leader in general.

In the third act, Brother Boxer also illuminates Margaret’s character when confronting her with his grievances. He tells her that he finally sees how she looks at Luke and that she still loves him. She is no different than anyone else in the church: “You was always so pure, Sister Margaret, you made the rest of us feel like dirt” (84). This, more than any of the reasons the group provides for firing Margaret, is why they want her out of power. Brother Boxer and the others are all tired of feeling like they can never be holy enough.