Mama, or Mrs. Johnson is the image of unconditional love. From the beginning of the story, Mrs. Johnson’s inner monologue suggests us the limits of a mother’s unconditional love and her devotion towards her children, regardless of their attitudes. Mrs. Johnson is a strong person, physically and mentally, she is a loving mother who is sometimes threatened and burdened by her daughters, Dee and Maggie. Because of the circumstances of being a single mother, mama rejects the traditional gender role when she has to work in order to raise and provide for her daughters the best she can. She takes on an alternative, masculine persona. She is proud of her hardy nature “a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands” (Walker, ) and her ability to butcher hogs and milk cows. In the story presented, she literally turns her back on the house, the traditional “female space”. She feels that it confines her too much. Even though Mama has willingness to operate outside of her rules, Mama lacks a broad view of the outside world and is, to some extent, intimidated by Dee. Because