Mrs. Johnson, also known as Mama, is the story's narrator -- an African-American woman who is underprivileged and lives with her younger daughter, Maggie. She has a rough appearance and someone apparently described her as being overweight. Even with her poor financial condition and with the facts that she is middle aged and not very beautiful, Mama is a proud person and she does not hesitate to speak her mind when she has the chance to do so. Looking at matters from her perspective provides readers with the chance to understand a type of thinking that is biased and logical at the same time: Mama appears to appreciate Maggie to a greater degree than she appreciates Dee, but is also fueled by the idea that it would only be natural for her to use object normally instead of using them as decoration.

Mama does not do anything that compromises her...
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