Mothering modes: analyzing mother roles in novels by twentieth-century United States women writers

Brownstones make for an almost perfect comparative study. Both novels are set during 
economically depressive war times: WWI for Smith's work
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and WWII for Marshall's 
work. In New Deal Modernism: American Literature and the Invention of the Welfare 
State, Michael Szalay provides background on the timing of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: 
Choosing pre-Depression hardship over the more proximate variety, the novel 
covers the years between 1902 and 1919 despite the fact that it was published in 
1943. Smith generates heady nostalgia for simpler times, and turns back to an era 
when, ostensibly, poverty was the result of bad luck (if not more dire morals, 
shortcomings) and families took care of themselves regardless. (185) 
According to Vivyan Adair, the timing of the work makes for a thematic story of “dignity 
and simplicity” in which the family “honorably and steadfastly fight against the 
destructive forces of urban poverty” (119). As for Brown Girl, Brownstones, the novel 
covers the time span from 1939 to the early 1950’s, encompassing all of World War II 
(which does not negatively affect the primary family of the novel since their only son 
died in early childhood, but does positively affect Silla’s workplace earning ability) and 
chronicling the success of the Barbadian-American community in Brooklyn. By the close 
of the novel, in the early 1950’s, the wealthiest members of the group are moving to more 
upscale neighborhoods, and their children are leaving for colleges far from home. 

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These works focus on the traditional, nuclear family, in which the mother is the 
dominant parent. However, both daughter protagonists are seen as Daddy’s girls; they 
are attracted to the gaiety and freedom of their fathers but possess the strength of their 
mothers. These characters become strong women who desire a more liberal life than 
their mothers possess, because they admire the unrestricted lives their fathers (men) seem 
to have. However, there is no mistaking the relentless connection between Katie 
Rommely Nolan and Silla Boyce and their daughters despite the turmoil of their 
relationships. The mother-daughter relationships in these works reach successful 
outcomes, and that success is due, in no small part, to the mother’s ability to overcome 
oppressive circumstances under which she mothers her children. 
One of those oppressive circumstances is the stressful situation that marriage 
creates for the mothers. In these examples of mothering, marital stress involves the 
different philosophies of the spouses on issues such as alcoholism and philandering, 
which are also connected to socioeconomic issues, another example of oppressive 
circumstances. Both families have immigrant status: Katie Rommely Nolan's parents are 
Austrian, and her in-laws are Irish immigrants in Smith's novel, and Silla Boyce and her 
husband are Barbadian immigrants in Marshall's novel. The Nolan family deals with 
poverty, hunger, unemployment, education, and single parenting (due to the father’s 
death). The Marshall family deals with social climbing, land ownership, and single 
parenting (also due to the father’s death). 
The mother also deals with her own nurturance issues and mother-daughter 
conflicts that affect her ability to successfully mother. Each protagonist daughter longs 
for an emotional attachment that neither mother has the willingness and/or the time to 

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fulfill, since she is so busy with her mothering tasks. As Collins writes, "For far too many 
[...] mothers, the demands of providing for children are so demanding that affection often 
must wait until the basic needs of physical survival are satisfied" (“The Meaning of 
Motherhood” 55). This lack of affection from their mothers fuels the daughters' 
preferences for their fathers, men who are inherently weak when compared to their 
mothers, but who apparently have more freedom than the mothers, due to the mothers’ 
roles as primary caretakers of the children. 
In both works, the mother-daughter relationships are unmistakably strong and 
combustible, but are finally composed of mutual respect and admiration. These mothers 
contend with the daughters’ choice of their fathers, in spite of the fact that both men, for 
the most part, are eventually regarded as disappointments by their families and by the 
community. Although the mothers recognize and admire the strength in their daughters, 
they are compelled to be protectors and instructors, especially in educating their smart 
daughters. Education becomes an issue of both agreement and conflict in these two 
mother-daughter relationships. As Blanche H. Gelfant notes: "Desire for an education 
may force the heroine into open conflict with her mother, whose strength she finds 
inspiring but overwhelming. If she is to become her own self, she must escape the 
bindingly intimate relationship" (276). This is especially true for Francie, who must strive 
to educate herself. Regardless of their situations, Katie and Silla eventually work, in the 
midst of battles of will, toward successful relationships with their daydreaming, artistic, 
and educated daughters.
In an effort to combat oppressive circumstances, Katie and Silla rely on effective 
coping strategies to help them manage their mothering responsibilities. Each woman 

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relies on her inner strength to help her achieve her goals. Katie and Silla are not without 
emotion, but they take no time to become overly emotional about their problems. They 
utilize their strong wills to move on in spite of any encumbrances that may hinder their 
mothering. The strength of each of these mothers does not go unnoticed, either. The 
daughters recognize the physical and mental strength of the mothers, and they excuse the 
weakness of their fathers, because their fathers nurture them while their mothers do not. 
The daughters not only admire the strength of their mothers, but they also respect their 
ambition and outspokenness. Not only are the mothers driven by their aspirations to 
educate their daughters, but they are also driven to protect their daughters from whatever 
threatens their well being. The mothers also understand that if their daughters are seen as 
badly reared by societal standards, it will be the mother who is blamed, not their fun-
loving, carefree fathers. Brigid McConville writes, "Any woman who fails to live up to 
the impossible ideal of motherhood is likely to be publicly scourged for her shocking 
inadequacy. Mother-blaming is part and parcel of society's widespread denigration and 
undervaluing of women [...]" (98, 99). Both Katie and Silla are quite concerned about the 
public’s opinion of their children as reflections on themselves. 
In addition to showing a great amount of strength, each mother works toward 
having economic security for her family and eliminating the financial oppressions that 
affect their mothering. Financial oppression means totally different things for each of 
these mothers. For Katie, it refers to money for food and clothing. For Silla, it refers to 
charging higher rent and purchasing the brownstone. Similar to their dominant 
personalities, there ambitious drives are tremendous. And in this area, they outrank their 

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spouses again. They attempt to achieve their goals with their outside employment and the 
help they struggle to obtain from their husbands. 
The last coping strategy to be discussed in this chapter is women-centered support 
networks. Each mother has her own group of women comrades in whom she confides her 
intimate thoughts and with whom she shares responsibilities. For Silla, they are her 
friends from the community, and for Katie, they are the Rommely women, her sisters and 
her mother. In addition, each daughter has a network of women who aid her in maturing 
properly. They also aid the mother (in Silla’s situation, it is against her will) in rearing 
her daughter. Because of the strained relationships that Katie and Silla have with their 
daughters, other women play great roles in their daughters’ lives, and the importance of 
othermothers in the lives of the daughters becomes apparent. As Collins suggests, 
"Othermothers often play central roles in defusing the emotional intensity of relationships 
between bloodmothers and their daughters and in helping daughters understand [...] 
motherhood" (“The Meaning of Motherhood” 56). These women, these othermothers, 
help Selina and Francie reach adulthood. For Francie, they are her aunts and 
grandmother, and for Selina, they are three women whom her mother despises. They aid 
Silla and Katie by befriending, educating, nurturing, guiding, and supporting their 
daughters. They also play a great part in helping the daughters understand their mothers’ 
motives and actions. They can relate to the mother as a woman and explain her struggles 
to the daughter. The daughters can identify with their mothers after they have had 
womanly experiences themselves. 
In