Carnelle struggles to obtain approval from the world and to shake her tarnished reputation as“Miss Hot Tamale,” or as the most promiscuous girl in town. Winning the Miss Firecracker Contest would redeem herself in the eyes of the town before she clears out of Brookhaven, Mississippi. The “ideal woman” she strives to become arrives in the form of her cousin Elain, and this allows for a character contrast to develop, emphasizing Carnelle’s determination to “improve” her identity. Carnelle attempts to redefine her personal image by curing her syphilis, joining a church, volunteering for the cancer society, and inviting an orphan to dinner weekly. Trying to win the Miss Firecracker Contest is simply another way to show the town and herself that she amounts to someone special. Henley uses Carnelle to identify the typical struggle females go through to define themselves while maintaining cultural expectations of beauty, poise, and youth.
Elain arrives on the scene to contrast Carnelle's floundering self-esteem and to emphasize what advantages beauty has in society. Elain complies with her late mother's wishes to attend junior college and to use her beauty to snag a wealthy husband, demonstrating the power of beauty and how Elain uses her beauty to please her mother. Elain is stuck in an unhappy marriage and is very narcissistic, and these two characteristics demonstrate Henley's point that beauty is not everything. Delmount also has an obsession with beauty, and gets himself into a lot of trouble when exotic beauties catch his eye. This obsession results in disturbingly gruesome dreams about deformed body parts, emphasizing Delmount's madness and excessively romantic mind. Henley demonstrates that while beauty is considered important in society, using it to gain an advantage or admiring it excessively does not ultimately lead to happiness.
Carnelle never had a stable family life as a child. She was abandoned by her parents and, after her aunt and uncle died, left with no close family. As a result, Carnelle sought love in the form of men, which backfired and ruined her reputation. The Miss Firecracker Contest is Carnelle's last chance to gain acceptance and once again be loved by her community. Elain never had an issue getting love and attention, but she realizes her life is full of fine things yet nothing of any importance. She then tries to leave her husband and family, though in the end, Elain returns to her family because of her need to have a constant sense of security and love. Delmount also desires love, but in a different way than either Carnelle or Elain's desires. He has sexual dreams and fantasies which only serve to confuse him. When he finally falls for Popeye, his quest for love is finally complete.
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