Outline in this pragraph. Walker shows readers the unselfconscious Mama, a mother who handles the

toughest of jobs with her “rough, man-working hands” (Walker 270). A mother’s role

usually entails taking on more tasks than any other character does; in fact, mothers

are pretty much the hardest working people around. The condition of Mama’s hands

shows the effort she puts into the tasks she performs in and around the family’s house,

such as in the winter when she “work[s] outside all day, breaking ice” in order to “get

water for washing” (Walker 270). She does many brutal outdoor jobs. On the other

hand, Sedaris presents a mother in “Let It Snow” who is the opposite of Mama, largely

because of “the secret life she [leads]” (Sedaris 75). For instance, instead of cooking, the

Sedaris children’s mother is “in the kitchen, watching television,” (75) numbed by her

drinking. Her problem with alcohol hinders her desire or ability to work in and around

the house; she lacks the grit and commitment of Mama in Walker’s story. Mothers work

hard for many reasons and one of those reasons may be because they care so much.