An Exploration of the Relationship Between Mattie and Etta Mae in The Women of Brewster Place

Friendship is perhaps one of the greatest relationships between two women. We have no say in the matter when it comes to family. But with friends, we choose who we want to let into our lives. Friendship is essential to the ties that bind the community together. Having someone that you know and trust can make difficult times easier to deal with. In Gloria Naylor’s The Women of Brewster Place, all of the women have faced struggles that have led them to Brewster Place. 

Despite the trials, tribulations, and adversities that these women faced, they proved to be strong-willed and determined: “They were hard-edged, soft-centered, brutally demanding, and easily pleased, these women of Brewster Place. They came, they went, grew up, and grew beyond their years. Like an ebony phoenix, each in her own time and with her own season had a story” (5). Of the seven stories and women featured in Naylor’s novel, no friendship is as important or realistic than that between Mattie and Etta Mae. They are allies in a common struggle and are essential to each other’s survival. 

Throughout the novel, Mattie serves as a friend and guide to Etta. She proves that true friendship knows its boundaries and limits, yet a true friend is always there in times of need. 

Mattie Michael’s journey to Brewster Place begins when she is a teenager. She leaves her home in Rock Vale, Tennessee because of an unplanned pregnancy and for an uncertain future. She flees to escape her overprotective father’s rage over her refusal to disclose the name of her child’s father. Mattie finds herself staying with a friend for a while, but it does not last long. She eventually leaves the oppressive South and journeys to the North. Mattie moves in with Miss Eva, a kind stranger who takes in Mattie and her son Basil. Mattie’s attachment to Basil grows stronger with each passing day.