Angela Janet Caldwell was the best person in the world in the eyes of her son Bud. Throughout Bud's young life he lives one hell scenario after another and throughout all of these terrible situations he could always recall all the good things his mother did for him and it always helped him prevail. In the face of starvation and sleeping underneath a tree Bud uses this atrocious time to reminisce about the good times with his mother. "These things I'm going to explain to you later be a great help for you. Then momma'd look hard in my face, grab a holt of my arms real tight and say, And Bud, I want you always to remember, no matter how bad things look to you, no matter how dark the night, when one door closes, don't worry, because another door opens." (42-43) Angela was very hard working and attentive. Michigan was one of the poorest states during the great depression. Her work ethic is referenced several times. "I looked over and thought I was dreaming. My clothes are all folded up in a neat pile the same way momma used to fold them when she'd go to work before I got up." (185). What we know about Bud's mother that he is too young to realize is the depths of her sacrifice. Single Black women during the depression were working long …show more content…
"I was six years old when it happened, sir. I don't know why, she was too sick to go to work for six days in a row, then one morning I went into her room and she was dead." (215) Healthcare in the great depression era was virtually nonexistent for minorities. Evidently she remembered all the tough life lessons her father taught her growing up. "This is a hard world, especially for a Negro woman, there's a hundred million folks out there of every shade and hue, both male and female, who are just dying to be harder on her than I ever could be." (222-223) She knew no one would help or have sympathy for her or her son, Angela had to work nonstop even if it meant working herself to