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Henry Washington, or Mr. Henry, as Frieda and Claudia call him, is a boarder at the MacTeer house, a man full of false charm. He appears to dote on Frieda and Claudia, always giving them extra pennies for sweets. In doing so, he illustrates the danger that comes from a childhood that lacks outward praise and affection. Because Frieda and Claudia’s parents don’t often compliment them or show them warmth, Henry Washington is easily able to take advantage of both girls. In a very calculated move, he calls Frieda and Claudia “Greta Garbo” and “Ginger Rogers,” two popular white movie stars of the time who were known for being quite beautiful. These nicknames serve to endear him to the girls for two reasons. First, they are absurd nicknames in that no one could possibly mistake two young Black girls for two adult white women. Him calling the girls these names therefore has a playfulness that keeps it from being inappropriate. Nevertheless, by associating the girls with such glamorous starlets, he is also implicitly calling them beautiful. Without arousing suspicion, he makes Frieda and Clauda feel special and valued. The power of these compliments makes it so that Frieda and Claudia adore him and even remember him fondly into adulthood despite his manipulations and attempt to molest Frieda.
