Charles McCarter

"...I was saying to my wife this morning, If I died and came back... I want to come back as me."

Character

Charles McCarter is a male antagonist of approximately thirty-six years of age and successful attorney with his own firm. He married Helen right after high school.

Prior to the story

Charles wants to leave any of his past life behind and live his American dream. he marries Helen right out of high school, finishes law school and becomes a lawyer. He makes Helen put her mother in a nursing home. He and Helen tried to conceive children, but Helen miscarried twice. As he becomes more successful, he begins a relationship with a woman named Brenda who gave him two sons.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (Play)

Charles became a very rich and successful lawyer, but along with every dime, he changes. He is married to Helen for nearly 20 years. he becomes involved with a coworker, another lawyer named Brenda which they both went to high school with. Charles treats Helen cruelly on their anniversary and betrays her for Brenda. He leaves her with the house and $2,000 a month. Later, Charles eventually gets paralyzed from the neck down and Brenda chooses to leave Charles with Helen saying that she is not a caregiver. Charles comes out of his Coma and apologizes to Helen. Helen stays married to him under conditions that they will go to counseling, go to church every Sunday, and promise that he will never hit her again. He accepts and they stayed married to one another.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (Film)

Charles became a very rich and successful lawyer, but along with every dime, he changes. On their eighteen anniversary of their marriage, Charles pays a delivery truck man, Orlando to take her belongings and her somewhere else. That same night, he walks in with his concubine, Brenda, and wants a divorce. Heartbroken, his wife refuses and he proceeds to drag her out to the curb. He continues his relationship with his concubine (whom he plans on marrying) and his two sons.

He is forced to take a case with an evil man and he is very reluctant to do so. He does what is required in his defense, but loses the case. While taken into custody, the man takes an officers gun and attempts to kill Charles. Charles is paralyzed in his spinal area.

Unknown to him, Helen rushes over to the hospital with Brian and sees to it that the hospital administration does everything they can to save his life, against Brenda's wishes. Helen briefly confronts Brenda which she flees the scene.

At the McCarter House, Helen is aiding Charles while remembering all the bad memories that existed during the times she lived there. Charles offends her again saying, "I don't even know why you're here. Call Brenda and get my kids. Where are my kids? I ask you to do one little thing and you can't even do that after 18 years... Get out!" as Helen begins to leave, she stand over Charles and smacks him hard against his head. Helen confronts Charles with brutal truths about his selfishness during the relationship and her still loving and being there for him and he is forced to listen.

Charles begins to reflect on what Helen said and see the error in his ways. Helen continues to get even having left him the room for a few days, then throwing him from the wheel chair into the bath water face first, and then later fixing herself dinner, eating in front of him and still delivering harsh truths about his lifestyle and his choice in mistresses. At that moment, he is begging for food. She gets angry and calls him a coward and pushes the plate to his side to hard and the minute it falls and splatters on the table he begins to sob because he is incapable of feeding himself still.

After Helen comes back from an outing, he is waiting in the living room for her. He wholeheartedly apologizes to Helen and he begins to get better in health. He tries to hint he still has feelings for her when helping him into bed one day. Helen removes his hands from her waist and places them on his chest with a resolved look on her face showing that she is only determined to help him and not rekindle their past romance.

She takes Charles to church one Sunday. Charles bravely gets up to be saved astonishing her family. She follows behind him to support him one final time. Later that night, At Madea's house, Helen assures Charles that they will always be friends and gives Charles the divorce papers, signed with her ring on the top. She kisses Charles on the forehead and leaves.

Movie Versus Play

Anniversary (20 years-play, 18 years-movie)
Brenda (coworker-play), unknown-movie)
Charles give her the house (play), Charles throws her out (movie)
Charles & Helen: Stay Married (play), Divorce (movie)

Theory behind Charles's Oppression

Charles became rich because he took money from the source (evil gentlemen) and corrupted his soul. This is greatly implied when Helen mentions "...With every dime in every case, he has change." He would corruptly helped this evil man win his cases from the money. He slowly began to loose sight of his prior blessings. He cheated on his wife with this woman, Brenda, and had two children because Helen miscarried (possibly stress due to conflicts between them). In the Christian lifestyle, it is highly frowned upon for extra-marital affairs and most believe the one committing is doomed. This woman, Brenda, was influenced by evil spirits to further cloud Charles's mind from his true blessings.

Charles is bribed by money to take the case again which he was pushed to do the wrong thing in his defense and lied to save him from his sentence. Charles defended to what was reasonable and the evil gentlemen attempted to kill him (take his oppressed soul). His fiance also was influenced in the hindrance as she wanted to end his life in order to take his money. God was over his head sending a heartbroken Helen to save him.

The worse was going to happen in karma to Charles had he not been saved. Helen aided him and confronted him in order to make him reflect. Helen wasn't didn't feed him for a few days out of anger and it is possible that Charles was so hungry that he was forced into a "fasting" state and began to reflect onto God. God reached him and made him see the error in all of his ways; especially towards Helen. Helen goes to church with him and he officially gets saved. Helen saves her ex husband in forgiving him and herself ultimately.

Quotes

"...I was saying to my wife this morning, If I died and came back... I want to come back as me."
"I'm Charles McCarter. I'm going to die Charles McCarter."
"I don't even know why you're here. Call Brenda and get my kids. Where are my kids? I ask you to do one little thing and you can't even do that after 18 years... Get out!" -to Helen

Relationships

Helen (Ex-Wife)
Brenda Marcos (Romantic Interest)
Unknown Son
Unknown Son

Appearances

Notes

He is portrayed by Steve Harris in the film.
It is implied in the film that Brenda fought with Charles and convinced him to make a choice between her and Helen. This fight ultimately caused Charles to make the decision to kick Helen out of the house and divorce her.
It is unknown how his relationship continued with Brenda after she took his children and left.
Charles is similar to antagonist characters Ronnie and Carlos Armstrong being narcissist and abusive to their romantic interest. Unlike both of them, he apologizes and repents for his actions.
Helen mentions that with every dime in every case, he has changed. That one male client that he is bribed to defend is his oppression factor.