Waiting to Exhale

Waiting to Exhale is the story of four African American women who share the pain and triumphs of living. All four--Savannah, Bernadine, Robin, and Gloria--have one thing in common, each is searching for a special man in their lives. The theme of this story is that family consists, not of the traditional nuclear structure, but of all those supportive others who provide love and support in time of need.

At the beginning of the story each of the women have men in their lives but none who would qualify as good husband material. Savannah is single, never married. She has a promising career in television and has just made the move from Denver to Phoenix, partly because she has not been able to find a husband in Denver. Robin is another professional woman; she is love with Russell, an incorrigible ladies' man. Bernadine, a wealthy housewife, has just learned that John, her husband of eleven years, is divorcing her for a young white woman. Gloria, a protective single mother of teenager Tarik, has a platonic relationship with Tarik's father. The story's end brings significant changes in the lives of these women. Robin becomes pregnant and gets the emotional courage to leave Russell. Gloria gets a man in her life, Marvin, and learns to let go of Tarik. Bernadine adjusts to her new status as a single woman after meeting James, an attorney. Savannah is still single, but learns that the definition of family is not limited to husband/wife/children. This sentiment is eloquen

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he needs a man in her life, any man. Gloria seems to be the typical African American single mother, raising a male son without a father. I learned most from Bernadine's character because her situation shows that many African American families start out as traditional nuclear families but their stability is shattered by divorce. The social and political context of this story is a contemporary metropolitan city in the Southwest. This context is important. Although the majority of African Americans live in urban areas they are increasingly moving to cities that are not predominantly black. Waiting to Exhale shows that blacks want to live in racially mixed neighborhoods yet they are not comfortable living in environments that are predominantly white. For example, Lionel, Savannah's date, discusses the racial mix of Phoenix, "Not many of us there, is it?" (20). Savannah responds, "Not many of us in Denver, either, but that didn't stop us from coming, right?" (20). Bernadine reminisces about all the sacrifices she made for John, including sending their two children to a predominantly white school: "And more important than anything, you didn't tell him how damaging you thought it might be to your kids to go to a school where t

Category: Literature - W