Bertha

Bertha is Sykes's plump mistress, with whom he is openly cheating on Delia. Elijah Moseley calls her a "big black greasy Mogul" (this last word referring to the Muslim rulers ofIndia between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries), a description that connotes some of the white stereotypes and racist caricatures of the time as to what kind of women were attractive to black men. Bertha has picked up a bad reputation in her previous town and carried it to Eatonville; she is bold enough, unlike Sykes's previous mistresses, to call for him at Delia's gate. For three months, she has been living in Della Lewis's disreputable inn, and Delia can tell that Sykes has brought her into their house.

Dave Carter

One of the men on the porch of Joe Clarke's store, Dave mentions that Bertha looks like an alligator when she opens her mouth to laugh. The character...