How did you feel about Eunice’s relationship with her mother? In what way did her mother’s accomplishments influence Eunice’s life choices? Did she inspire her? Or did Eunice feel more pressure to succeed because of her mother’s achievements?
It seemed like Eunice and her mother had a complicated relationship. On one hand, Eunice’s mother showed Eunice that a black woman didn’t have to be confined to a box. On the other hand, I think Eunice felt like she needed to step out from her mother’s shadow.
I thought that Eunice was probably greatly influenced by her mother to work toward being successful in whatever she chose as her life goals. I imagine it would be difficult to grow up in the shadows of such influential parents. But I don’t think Eunice’s achievements were solely on account of her mother, as she had some sad memories of her parents putting their goals before their children.
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It didn’t seem like Eunice ever got over her mother leaving her to do her work. She acknowledged it was important but seemed to still be hurt by the absences. Ironically, she did the same thing to her son by sending him away.
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I think she felt more pressure to succeed. But it also gave her room to try things. Her mom and dad both had connections that allowed her to try being an author or try being a lawyer. She had routes that other women might not have had. She also had big shoes to fill.
I feel like Eunice felt pressure to live up to her mother’s legacy because she was inspired by her mother.
I think Eunice’s mother was a great inspiration for her. Eunice saw her mother’s strong beliefs in something and her mother’s willingness to work toward the goals. I think Eunice’s desire to succeed was her own determination to right a wrong.
It was interesting. She was clearly inspired by her mother and wanted to be a high achiever of justice as well. Yet at the same time she resented being shuffled off while her mother went out in the world to fight, she didn’t think her own son or husband should resent being sidelined while she did the same.
Eunice’s relationship with her mother was complicated. Eunice’s desire to have a purposeful life that wasn’t the “norm” for women at the time; especially women of color. Sadly, sending her own son away was a difficult, but necessary decision that hurt her relationship with both her son and her husband. I applaud her too, for her tenacity in a man’s world during that time period.
I think it was both. Eunice’s mother was an inspiration to her. She also became overbearing, but from her perspective, I could see that she didn’t want Eunice to throw away an opportunity to really make a difference and establish herself professionally. She knew Eunice well enough to know that if she gave up, she would always regret it and be disappointed in herself.
Eunice was proud of her mother. Yet she seemed to think she was overshadowed by her accomplishments. Once, when driving home late at night she wondered if this is what her mother felt as she arrived in a new town not knowing what danger might await. As a background note, Eunices’ work with the NAACP brought her into a friendship with Mary White Ovington, a wealthy white woman who supported the nascent organization without putting herself forward. That relationship, and others like it, may have prepared Eunice to work in concert with a white woman.