Mothers play a role throughout the entirety of the C.E. Morgan's All the Living. The first one you come across is briefly the mention that Aloma’s mother is dead and that she is an orphan being taken care of by her aunt and uncle before being shipped to her mission school to grow up. Her mother is only briefly mentioned throughout the rest of the novel to simply inform others that she is no longer with them.
Next, you hear of Orren’s mother, Emma. Sadly, she recently died and is also no longer with them. Although there are stories of her that Orren shares throughout the novel. When she was living, she took care of the kids, cleaned the house, cooked for the kids and herself, and took care of the animals and the farm. She did everything. After Orren’s father, Cassius died, she had no idea how to do any of the farm or animal care, but throughout the years she learned and did the best she could before turning to the children for some help along the way.
The other mother that is mentioned is Bell Johnson’s mother. Mrs. Johnson is very present throughout the novel. No matter what is happening, Mrs. Johnson is sure to appear at some point if her son is involved. She even lived with Bell, and could almost be caught spying when he brought Aloma home to show her the grand piano that his grandfather had bought, “Mrs. Johnson was in the house when they went in. She opened the door for them when they had barely stepped up onto the porch, as if she’d been hovering behind the door with her arthritic hand on the knob” (133). The points throughout the novel in which Aloma and Bell are alone or even when they are together you can sense the lingering of Mrs. Johnson around the corner. When Aloma first met Bell and Mrs. Johnson in the church kitchen, one could sense the tension between the women in the room. One could say that Mrs. Johnson was an overbearing, over-protective mother while another would say that she was just sceptical about Aloma and wanted to know with whom her son was spending time with.
Throughout All the Living, one is able to decipher how a mother is protective of her children, in this case her sons. Both Emma and Mrs. Johnson are very caring towards their children and want what is best for them. Whether that is growing up on a farm and living their lives in agriculture or growing up in a church and then becoming a preacher, their mother’s are just wanting to know that they will be okay in the end. Throughout the novel one is able to see and sense all of this throughout the stories that are told of Emma and throughout the interactions that Mrs. Johnson has with both Bell and Aloma.
Mothers are prevalent throughout the novel and have great power on the lives of their children. These mother’s love for their sons illustrate the real love that Orren and Aloma can’t seem to find. Orren’s mother, Emma, is no longer alive but her presence is felt throughout the novel. After the death of Orren’s father she did all the work around the farm by herself. Orren is now doing the same thing and realizing how hard it truly is. He states “I don’t know how come it is I got to do everything so alone” (186). This is a recognition of how hard it is to be on one’s own. Emma went through the same thing and endured it for the love of her sons. Bell’s mother also looks out for him and is wary of Aloma when she first meets her asking “Are you fixing to go to all the churches in town asking for work?” (64). She is wary of Aloma because she doesn’t want Bell to get hurt or in trouble. This comes out of her love for her son. Caring for another person is the action that indicates true love. Orren and Aloma do not have the mindset of living to helping each other like the mothers in the novel do for their sons. This is what leads to Orren and Aloma’s feelings of loneliness.
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