Walker

The relationship between Mama and her daughters kind of disgusted me in the fact that she didn't take pride in either of them. This isn’t the typical relationship that you see with a mother and a daughter. Instead of taking pride in her children and lifting them up she kind of just stood by feeling threatened or put out. "She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice. She washed us in a river of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessarily need to know." This quote pretty much sums up how Mama felt about Dee and her getting an education. It made Mama feel inferior and instead of a sense of pride in Dee it was seen as sort of a threat. Most parents want the children to go off and succeed because they may not have had the opportunity but Mama is ultimately upset because she didn't get the chance. Then on the other hand with Maggie she is seen as sort a burden but she's isn't as threatened by her like Dee. You get a sense that Mama likes Maggie over Dee because Maggie is faithful and isn't selfish like Dee. "Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? This is the way my Maggie walks. . . . She knows she is not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passes her by." Mama clearly doesn’t have much respect for Dee after reading this quote comparing her to an animal and a dumb one at that. I really don’t think Mama gives credit to her daughters as they deserve.