Ruth Younger- Jada Pinkett Smith

I chose Jada Pinkett Smith to act as Ruth Younger because like Ruth, she's a family oriented mom that believes in family unity. According to Wikipedia, Jada Pinkett Smith said to her husband and mentioned it in an interview that "I will throw my career away before I let it break up our marriage. I made it clear to Will. I'd throw it away completely." Jada and her husband also started a family organization that supports inner city family youths. Even though Jada lives a high profile lifestyle, family is important to her and that's what Ruth wants in the story, a happy family. I think Jada Smith can act at Ruth, going through the process to achieve the character's goal because she already did it in real life.

Pg.1041 Physical description- “Ruth is about thirty. We can see that she was a pretty girl, even exceptionally so, but now it is apparent that life has been little that she expected, and disappointment has already begun to hang in her face. In a few years, before thirty-five even, she will be known among her people as a “settled woman.””

Personality- Ruth is a family oriented woman that gives tough love when necessary, but also acts as a mediator when situations between two people get out of hand. She’s very practical and thinks realistically in how to reach her goal.

Pg. 1042- Ruth and Travis get into a little argument, Ruth is not willing to give Travis the  money for school and Travis sees it and reacts but Ruth mocks him in a gentle teasing way, “Oh, Mama makes me so mad sometimes, I don’t know what to do! I wouldn’t kiss that woman good-bye for nothing in this world this morning! (She finally laughs aloud at [Travis] and holds out her arms to him…)”

Pg. 1055 (Telling Walter she’s pregnant and what else she’s planning to do because the house in low on income and resources for a baby) “Yes I would too, Walter. (Pause) I gave her a five-dollar down payment.

Goal- Wants to have her family be united and whole, and yearns to have a good relationship with her husband, Walter.

Pg. 1046- After having a disagreement with Walter in the morning about his liquor store, Ruth tries to talk to his mom whose getting her dead husband’s insurance, “It’s just that he got his heart set on that store... Mama, something is happening between Walter and me. I don’t know what it is--- but he needs something---something I can’t give him anymore. He needs this chance, Lena.”

Pg.1049 (to Mama, talking about Ruth)- “She said she was sorry.”