76 pages 2 hours read

Tiffany D. Jackson

Allegedly

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2017

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Character Analysis

Mary Beth Addison

Mary is the protagonist and first-person narrator of the novel. She is a light-skinned African American girl who has spent the previous six years serving a sentence for the murder of three-month-old Alyssa. Mary is newly pregnant by her boyfriend Ted and plans to keep the baby. She has remained silent about her role in Alyssa’s death since entering jail, but when Mary realizes that the system will terminate her own parental rights due to her conviction, Mary goes on a quest to clear her name by casting blame on her eccentric, unstable mother.

Momma’s irresponsibility and unpredictability as a parent put Mary in the position of having to care for herself and her mother from a very young age, causing a role reversal in the parent-child relationship. Momma’s mental illness had created in Mary a hungering for the love of a healthy, attentive, “normal” parent, like Mrs. Richardson. Mrs. Richardson was always attentive to Mary and told her how smart she was, encouraging her to read and urging her to someday attend college. When Mrs. Richardson gave birth to a baby girl, Alyssa, Mary was smitten. Mary had helped Mrs. Richardson with the baby and appeared to love Alyssa deeply.

Related Titles

By Tiffany D. Jackson

SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Tiffany D. Jackson
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Tiffany D. Jackson
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Tiffany D. Jackson
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Tiffany D. Jackson
Guide cover image