Jo (Josephine)
Jo is the protagonist of A Taste of Honey. At seventeen, Jo moves with her mother, Helen, into a rundown flat in a Manchester lodging house. Jo has an antagonistic, codependent relationship with her mother, whom Jo resents for not showing her enough affection. Although she is a talented artist, Jo refuses to pursue art school, preferring to get a job and start making money to support herself. Early in the play, Jo agrees to marry her boyfriend, Jimmie, when he returns from a six-month naval deployment. While Jimmie stays with her at the flat over Christmas, she gets pregnant with his child. Months later, Jimmie has not returned to fulfill his promise. Jo lets another young man, Geoffrey, live with her at the flat to help her through the pregnancy. Jo has never known her father, who Helen claims was a mentally challenged "village idiot." At the end of the play, Jo resents Helen for not paying enough attention to her during her pregnancy, but seems pleased when Helen returns to live with her.
Helen
Helen is Jo's mother. Described in the stage directions as a "semi-whore," Helen makes money by sleeping with men, some of whom she engages in long-term relationships with. Helen is unashamed by her own life choices, but judges her daughter for getting involved with men when she is so young. Helen speaks of a desire to renounce men and sex, but when her younger boyfriend Peter proposes marriage, Helen moves into a house with him, leaving Jo on her own at their rundown flat. Months later, Helen returns to Jo after having been kicked out by Peter. Helen is aggressive and abusive to Geoffrey, pushing him out of the flat just before Jo gives labor. When Helen discovers Jo's baby will be Black, she judges her daughter, then goes out for a drink, leaving Jo alone as her labor begins.
Jimmie (The Boy)
Listed in the playscript as The Boy, Jimmie is Jo's boyfriend. At twenty-two, Jimmie is a former nurse who now serves in the Navy as a sailor. Jimmie proposes to Jo, giving her a ring he bought cheaply at Woolworths. He and Jo agree to save up for their wedding, which they plan to have once he returns from his six-month tour with the Navy. Jimmie worries that Jo's mother won't approve of her being with a man of color, but Jo assures him Helen isn't prejudiced. Over Christmas, Jimmie gets Jo pregnant. Months later, he hasn't returned to Jo as promised. It is never revealed why he hasn't returned.
Geoffrey
Geoffrey is an art student who befriends Jo. Having been kicked out by his landlady, Geoffrey moves in with Jo when she is pregnant. While Geoffrey claims he was kicked out for not paying rent, Jo believes it is because he is gay, which he won't confirm or deny. He stays with Jo during her pregnancy and grows to care for her, even kissing her and proposing marriage, which she refuses. Geoffrey is both a companion to Jo and genuinely helpful when it comes to keeping the flat in order. Geoffrey leaves when Helen returns, not saying goodbye to Jo.
Peter
Peter is a car salesman who marries Helen. A WWII veteran, Peter wears an eye patch. Peter drinks heavily and smokes cigars. Nine years younger than Helen, Peter claims to prefer older women. Jo is antagonistic toward Peter, whom she believes may already be married or pursuing relationships with women other than Helen. Peter buys a new house that Helen moves into for several months after their wedding. When Helen discovers Peter has started an affair with a younger woman, Peter kicks Helen out of his house.
