Fat Ham

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to assault, murder, racism, and anti-gay bias.

Juicy is the protagonist. He is modeled after Hamlet, who is tasked with avenging his father’s murder. Juicy is a queer Black man who is intent on earning a degree in human resources. His sexuality and educational interests establish how he differs from his family, especially the men. He was raised to slaughter pigs and smoke meat at the family barbecue restaurant and finds this path repugnant. While others around him are boisterous and fun-loving, he is introspective and feels deeply. In the eyes of Rev and Pap, Juicy’s emotional depth is his tragic flaw. However, Juicy’s mother accepts him for the person he is and does not push him to be someone who he is not. In turn, Juicy is supportive of Tedra and is reluctant to dismiss her even though he disapproves of her marriage to Rev. He supports her quietly, even refusing to be angry when she spends his tuition money on a bathroom remodel to please Rev.

When confronted by his late father’s ghost, Juicy is unafraid and unsympathetic. A lifetime of his father’s emotional and mental abuse embitters Juicy toward him.