54 pages • 1 hour read
Terry McMillanWaiting to Exhale
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1992A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Waiting to Exhale has been hailed as a book that changed the perception of professional Black women in literature and, via its film adaptation, is further credited with opening a dialogue about Black women in R&B music. Discuss how Black women were previously represented in literature and how this novel impacted the representation of Black women in literature, film, and music.
Why does McMillan alternate between first-person narration (Savannah and Robin) and a third-person narrator? What impact does this structure have on characterization and on the text as a whole?
Discuss the characterization of Gloria’s 16-year-old son, Tarik. How is he depicted? What does his characterization and storyline suggest about the lives of young Black men in the early 1990s?
Compare and contrast Russell and Michael, two of the men with whom Robin is involved. In what ways is Robin attracted to each of them? What do each of these men teach Robin about her needs and desires in a romantic relationship?
When McMillan tells the story of the night Gloria’s son Tarik is conceived, she glosses over the fact that Gloria doesn’t remember the actual intimacy. Why is that? What does this suggest about norms surrounding consent in the 1970 and 1990s, and how have these norms changed since then?
Bernadine has an affair with a married man and encourages Savannah to do the same. Why does Savannah resist an affair? What does this difference in opinion say about the motivations and desires of these two women?
On several occasions, McMillan discusses the state of Arizona’s refusal to honor the Martin Luther King holiday. How does this illustrate the political and racial atmosphere of Phoenix, as well as her characters’ viewpoint in regard to the situation?
Bernadine meets a man who is married to a white woman who is dying of cancer and has an emotionally intense night with him. Why does he thank Bernadine for reaffirming his belief in Black women? Why does McMillan suggest about Black men who prefer to date white women, and how does this impact the self-esteem and self-worth of the novel’s characters?
Robin admits that Michael is a good man and has been a good friend, but at the end of the novel continues to feel a lack of romantic feelings for him. Consider, too, the sex lives of the other characters. What does McMillan suggest about the importance of sexual attraction in a committed relationship?
Both Robin and Savannah find themselves caring for aging parents in one way or another. Explore what this says about the dynamics of the families in the novel. Is caring for an elderly parent depicted as a burden or a responsibility? How does McMillan compare Savannah’s concern for her mother to those of families with different racial backgrounds?
