Mothers

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1972

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

The Emergence of Consciousness in the Mother/Child Relationship

Parenting books will often describe a moment wherein a baby sees herself in a mirror and begins to understand the concept of a self that is separate from the mother. The reader of “Mothers” does not know the speaker’s age in the sections of the poem that travel back in time to childhood. However, while the child is not a baby—she rises from her bed and makes her way to the kitchen by herself—she is young. She “stumbled into the kitchen” (Line 13), perhaps because she “had wet / the bed” (Lines 15-16). Her memory is a little fuzzy, but she knows, absolutely, that “mommy always sat in the dark” (Line 11). She is young, but she is about to experience an awareness beyond that of the baby who discerns a self in the mirror.

The speaker says, “i remember the first time / i consciously saw her” (Lines 7-8). She sees her mother “sitting in a chair” (Line 17), “bathed in moonlight” (Line 18). The moonlight itself is “diffused through / those thousands of panes” (Lines 18-19). Articulated through narrative and metaphor, the child sees her mother for the first time as a person who might suffer the pains of existence.

The speaker also sees her mother as a source of power. The mother’s long, “very black” (Line 24) hair reminds the speaker of “the samson myth” (Line 23). There is a recognition of vulnerability there, as well, as Samson remained powerful only so long as his hair remained uncut.

Before her mother speaks to her, before her mother is aware of the child’s presence, the child watches her mother and “remember[s] thinking: what a beautiful lady” (Line 26). The other is not her beautiful mother, but a “beautiful lady” (Line 26), perhaps like the ladies in the fairytales, or the ladies the child passes on the street. In any case, the beautiful lady is seen and understood, for the first time, as an entity separately existing from the speaker.

Complications of the Idea of Strength in African American Women of the Mid-20th Century

The speaker in “Mothers” comes upon her mother sitting in the dark in the kitchen of their apartment. She is “sitting in a chair” (Line 17); maybe she is smoking, “but maybe not” (Line 21). In any case, she is still. There is an energy to her stillness. The speaker is sure her mother is “very deliberately waiting” (Line 27). There is a sense that the mother is holding everything together simply by sitting in that kitchen chair, very still, in anticipation. In fact, the speaker “just hung there by the door” (Line 25), in thrall of this silent, powerful, beautiful figure.

The mother’s long hair “three-quarters her height” (Line 22) makes the speaker “a strong believer in the samson myth” (Line 23). The Biblical story is about an ancient Hebrew judge, Samson, who wields his enormous strength to fend off the enemy Philistines and protect his fellow Israelites. His strength lies in his uncut hair. He is betrayed by his love, Delilah, who cuts off his hair and turns him over to the Philistines. Samson eventually appeals to God and regains his strength, but dies in his final fight against his enemies.

The speaker’s mother’s “very black” (Line 24) hair identifies her as a powerful Black woman. The “samson myth” (Line 24) suggests, however, that her strength can be compromised by desire.

The speaker speculates that her mother is either waiting “for my father to come home / from his night job or maybe for a dream / that had promised to come by” (Lines 28-30). Whether she is waiting for the man of the house to come home, or for her dreams to manifest, the mother is beholden to forces outside of herself. However, when she calls her child to her side—“come here” (Line 31)—and teaches her a poem, the mother exercises her powers of art and imagination for the benefit of her child, an influence that will come back in the form of a grandchild continuing her legacy.

The Moon as Companion

The moon in “Mothers” is a shining light in the dark and serves to keep the speaker’s mother company as she waits in her nighttime kitchen for a husband or a “dream / […] to come by” (Lines 29-30). Unlike the strong light of a daytime sun, the moon shines “diffused through / those thousands of panes” (Lines 18-19). It offers more subtle entertainment and less exposure than a harsh sun, making an amusing pattern through something as ordinary as wire-enforced safety glass.

Later in the poem, the moon is a major player in the “poem” (Line 32) that the mother teaches to the speaker. The lullaby presents a scenario in which the moon “sees” (Line 33) the individual, and vice versa. This mutual witnessing of each other—the moon and the individual—is a blessed act. The relationship between the moon and the individual is sacred.