Role in Story: Main character, Protagonist
Occupation: Secretary, college drop-out, high school salutatorian
Physical Description: Petite build, 5’31”, not athletic, skinny, light brown reddish hair, bouffant hairdo in the sixties, short below the ears in the fifties, freckles, horn-rimmed glasses, slightly pointed soft rounded nose, hazel eyes, bit of a sloucher due to constant reading and writing. Generally wears pants but occasionally wears dresses.
Personality: Type II, sees herself as helper, the selfless friend, the pleaser, the giver of attention, generous and considerate. Encourages with infinite patience.
Has grown to believe that she must (1) put others needs above her own, (2) give in order to get, and (3) earn a place in the affections of others because love will not simply be given to her.
Most interested in love, closeness, intimacy, sharing, family, friendship. Shows everyone how to be deeply rich and richly human.
Fear of worthlessness
Has a shadow side, pride, self-deception, over-involved in the lives of others, manipulates others to meet her own (repressed) emotional needs, hurst and self-doubt.
Was able to win Shareef back by inserting her letters back into his mailbox/life.
Constantly putting others before herself has made her secretly angry and resentful. She feels she deserves to go away because she put so much effort into others lives. But going away merely another method that she has chosen to deceive herself.
Constantly seeking terms of endearment the combination of verbal, tonal and gestural responses from loved ones/friends that signify their reciprocity.
Compulsive in giving, feels obligated to step in and help others, the rescuer.
Her mother becomes resentful because Florence begins to treat her like a child after her nervous breakdown. Florence resents her mother because she feels that all the giving and rescuing has led to zero payoff. She did not become valedictorian. She did not get to finish college.
Steers people into compromising positions, such as needing a place to stay. One could argue that her entire escape from Texas and emigration to Egypt was a move to steer Shareef into a relationship that may not have been as genuine as he thought.
Collects needy people (songs of neediness, blues, etc). Obsessed with the drug deal that she saw on the street. Worried that she got doped up by the orange pill. Dates younger vulnerable men, molds their undeveloped qualities and unwillingly becomes their enabler.
“Looking for an orange in a hardware store.”
Florence’s continued overextension of herself leads to sleeping disorders. She is often found sleepwalking and talking to the neighbors.
Additionally, she suffers from allergies, the most annoying is cold urticaria that leaves red itchy welts on her skin in cold weather. This generally occurs after she has literally “worn herself (or skin)” out trying to warm others who leave her cold.
Writing letters for Florence is a safe act, a therapeutic one, an act that will not get her into trouble because she will never cross into the shock point. They are like private journal entries that no one will read except the false recipient. She will never see the recipient face to face. The worst thing they can do is to stop writing letters. It would not be worth it to them to send a hate letter through air-mail.
When Florence is finally truly present with Shareef their love naturally arises. They’re both ready to recognize the presence of love in themselves.
Exhibits a joyful spontaneous quality that resembles the joie de vivre of healthy Type VII. Laughs easily, deeply, without taking herself too seriously.
Appears shy (not mainstream social), scared and untrusting of men (who make advances), sweet when thoughtful of others, inquisitive, religious (Baptist).
Habits/Mannerisms: Reads a lot, likes to have late night snacks, writes stories and poetry (generally by the fire and the radio). Likes to take walks (with friends or alone). Loves ice cream. Extremely polite and well-mannered. Story-dreamer. Her stories are her escape. Her writing gives her the chance to leave her physical space and venture across time and the world.
Background: Born in Lamesa, Texas. Caucasian. Southern Baptist. Daughter of James and Nora Peacock. Is twelve years old when she first writes to Shareef.
Internal Conflicts: Internally she’s struggling to find herself amidst all the behaviors and traits that have been bestowed upon her by her mother.
External Conflicts: She’s somewhat of a tomboy, not in the sense that she’s physical or athletic, but she is not interested in make-up, dresses, hair-do’s, etc.
Notes: