Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes is a novel about an African-American boy's coming of age in the early 20th century. The story takes us through the childhood and adolescence of Sandy Rogers, calm and intelligent. Like any other child, Sandy is greatly influenced by the people he meets, the places he goes, and his experiences in different situations as a despised black child in a white-dominated hegemony. Although everyone we encounter in life affects us in one way or another, it is commonly believed that those closest to us, our constant companions, are the driving forces that shape the way we we become adults. In this story, two characters who greatly influence Sandy are Aunt Hager and Aunt Tempy. Aunt Hager is her maternal grandmother who is the center of Sandy's life the majority of the time in the story. She supports him and becomes his guardian when his loving mother leaves him to reunite with her husband, Jimboy Rogers. Aunt Tempy is a maternal aunt who is only a distant and disturbing presence in Sandy's life until Aunt Hager's death, where she fills the void of her guardianship. Thus, in Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes, the two characters Aunt Hager and Aunt Tempy contribute to the coming of age of the protagonist by influencing his morals and his education, and therefore his character. By being the two main characters who assume the role of guardianship for Sandy when her own parents are too absorbed in themselves and their problems, Hager and Sandy are the two main authorities in the critical periods of Sandy's childhood and adolescence. Hager was present in Sandy's life from birth until she died of old age. Time spent with her sha...... middle of paper ...... friends don't care about being educated and aspire to earn easy money, Sandy dreams of becoming a teacher and spends her time to philosophically question what he sees around him (186-188). Ultimately, just as her mother Annjee is about to ruin Hager and Tempy's hope for a bright, intellectual future for Sandy, Aunt Harriet steps in and promises that she will provide for Sandy's education so that the Aunt Hager's dreams for him come true (217). Therefore, the moral and intellectual effect on the protagonist of the characters Aunt Hager and Aunt Tempy in Not Without Laughs sets the stage for Sandy's adult life as he grows up under their care. Thus reiterating the importance of the effect that our close life companions have on the way we become. Works Cited Hughes, Langston. Not without laughing. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2008. Print.