Mother

Like the other principle characters, this character does not have a name that the reader ever learns. The reader can learn some things about this character from the first chapter where the third person narrative centers on her perspective, but the reader learns more through the details of the narratives from the perspectives of the mother's daughter and son.

In the first chapter, the quality that stands out in regard to this woman is her amazing poise in the face of adversity. She knows she is about to be taken away from her home, her husband is already incarcerated, and she knows she has limited ability to protect her children. What few things are within her control she handles with systematic efficiency in such as way as to spare her children unnecessary trauma. The woman's methodical systematic manner does not extend to her children. She is a warm...