The Woman Who Speaks to the Man Who Employrs Her Son

he does, and in letting her son go she has not only made him happy but is also asserting her power

was the step-mother’s interest to make sure that his children were gotten rid of, for she wanted

     On the road of life, many trials arise that one must overcome to make his or her life feel complete. In Langston Hughes’s poem, “Mother to Son,” these trials are a subject of concern for one mother. Hughes’ “ability to project himself” is seen in his use of dialect, metaphors, and tone (Barksdale 3).

This story also paints the picture of a father who would not give up on regaining his time with his son. It shows the father desperately trying to rectify the mistrust issues he created because he stated to the boy when they were sitting in the diner after the highway patrol redirected them away from the snow-covered route home that she would never forgive him if he did not get the boy home for

The contrast between the son’s first words with his father and his later conversation emphasizes how rapidly he is growing up. At first, the son lovingly exclaims, “not the same story baba, a new one”. However, towards the end, the son’s affectionate speech turns angry, as he shouts,“are you a god, the man that screams?”

The boy is very warm-hearted and appears to struggle to understand that danger could occur at any moment, whilst his father knows a lot more about what some people, “the bad guys”, do in order to survive. It could be seen that the child is very naive and therefore trusts others more than his father. However his trust in others teaches his father a valuable lesson; that not everyone is a “bad guy”. For instance when the pair come across Ely, the father is wary about him but his son is adamant that they give him a tin of food. This shows to readers that the boy has faith unlike his father. Another example is when the son sees the little boy; he begs his father to go back and help him and asks if he can go with them. I believe that he wants to help others as

has been taken away by her husband and children. It isn 't that she dislikes her children or

“The mother removes her purse from her shoulder and rummages through its contents: lipstick, a lace handkerchief, an address book. She finds what she’s looking for and passes a folded dollar over her child’s head to the man who stands and stares even though the light has changed and traffic navigates around his hips… He does not know his part. He does not know that acceptance of the gift and gratitude are what makes this transaction complete… The mother grows impatient and pushes the stroller before her, bearing the dollar like a cross. Finally, a black hand rises and closes around green” (paragraphs 3-5).

When the mother sends her child off to church, she brushes her hair, bathes her, and puts white shoes and gloves on her. This effort put into creating an image of beauty and peace in her child shows that the mother is trying to forget about the suffering of the people who are fighting for freedom that she is doing nothing to aid. When she sees her child this way, she feels that she has

This speaks on a very deep level, in regards to the genuine warmth the author implied toward the mother in his piece. There is a subliminal truth of sentimental “value”, because the reality of this world is that all material wealth can be lost in a moment, but real wealth is not some slice of pie one luckily stumbles upon in the world, real wealth is first found in the human being, and the human becomes the reflective producer of these

At first she doesn’t stop him, when he’s about to get into a fight. The reason might be that she somehow wishes him to be strong enough to fight his own battles. (Just like she actually says about the son (l. 5 p. 98))

She knew that at some point they’d be gone…I had learned the same lesson” (89). The conflict with the children and the men their mother brought home made a toxic environment. They were unable to create heathy relationships with the men due to the fear and assumption of their eventual departure. The conflict between Vance’s mother and the men was also not healthy for the children, Vance writes, “When I heard [his mom] screaming at [one of the men], or weeping on the floor after an especially intense argument…I felt guilty that she was going through this for my sake” (89). Although, the issues within the household were not related to Vance, he still took on responsibility for his Mother’s unhappiness.

puts her son’s comfort and life above all and swallows her pride. Furthermore, as a woman of the

The role of a father could be a difficult task when raising a son. The ideal relationship between father and son perhaps may be; the father sets the rules and the son obeys them respectfully. However it is quite difficult to balance a healthy relationship between father and son, because of what a father expects from his son. For instance in the narratives, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences” both Willy and Troy are fathers who have a difficult time in earning respect from their sons, and being a role model for them. Between, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences,” both protagonists, Willy and Troy both depict the role of a father in distinctive ways; however, in their struggle, Willy is the more sympathetic of the two.

Then in the next line there is no mention of the woman speaking to the child or acknowledging that the child ever spoke to her. The purposeful shunning of the child by the woman is appalling and baffling at the same time. The child in the story is an innocent, wanting to please and gain acknowledgement and love from the very woman that is sickened by the very sight of the child. The mysterious reasons for the shunning of the child can be guessed at in committee, but without more history as to reasoning: the idea of the woman seeing the child as the one reason for her illness is the most conclusive idea to be had.