Mother by Judah Waten : Summary and analysis

Introduction to the Author

Judah Waten (1911–1985) was a distinguished Australian writer of Russian-Jewish origin. He was born in Russia and migrated to Australia with his family during childhood. Much of his writing draws upon his own experiences as the child of immigrants and explores themes such as:

migration and displacement, cultural identity,

poverty, family relationships, social injustice,

the struggles of immigrants.

Waten's works are celebrated for their:

simplicity and lucidity, emotional depth, realism, sympathetic portrayal of ordinary people, subtle humour and pathos.

The short story Mother is largely autobiographical. It is based on Waten's own family experiences and especially on the remarkable personality of his mother. 

Introduction to the Story

Mother is a deeply moving autobiographical short story narrated by a son who remembers his extraordinary mother and reflects upon her struggles and ideals.

The story presents the life of a Russian-Jewish woman who suffers:

poverty, loneliness, displacement, discrimination, unfulfilled dreams, cultural alienation.

Despite numerous hardships, she remains:

intellectually ambitious, idealistic, determined,

devoted to education and culture.

The story is not merely a portrait of one woman. It is also a story about:

immigrant experience,

the difficulties of adjusting to a new country,

the conflict between ideals and reality,

parental sacrifice,

the power of education.

The narrative is both personal and universal.

Detailed Summary

The Narrator's Childhood Memory

The story begins with the narrator remembering his childhood.

As a small boy, he often noticed his mother's searching eyes fixed upon him. She would look at him silently for long periods.

This gaze made him uncomfortable.

He would begin to wonder whether he had done something wrong.

But later he realizes that her thoughts were not about him at all.

Her mind was occupied by much larger concerns:

the future of her children,

their education,

their place in the new country,

the difficulties of immigrant life.

She always felt like a stranger in Australia.

The Growing Distance Between Mother and Son

The narrator quickly adapted to the new country.

He learned the customs and habits of Australian society.

As a result, he gradually became emotionally distant from his mother.

His mother felt this distance deeply.

She loved her son intensely, but there was never complete friendship between them.

She was a woman of great inner strength and strong convictions.

One of her favourite sayings was:

"Be strong before people, only weep before God."

This sentence summarizes her philosophy of life.

She believed in enduring suffering silently and with dignity.

The Mother's Personality

The mother is described as:

soft-spoken,

gentle,

serious,

thoughtful,

somewhat mysterious.

Her face always carries sadness.

She appears detached from everyday life.

She seems to belong to another world.

The narrator describes her as:

thin,

slightly stooped,

having dark eyes and black hair.

She seems older than her actual age.

Her Unusual Attitude Towards Life

Unlike other women in the neighbourhood, she is not interested in:

beautiful furniture,

household decoration,

material possessions.

Their house always looks temporary.

Boxes remain unpacked.

Clothes hang behind doors.

The house seems as if the family is about to move away at any moment.

This reflects the mother's sense of impermanence and displacement.

She never truly belongs anywhere.

Her Treasured Possessions

Although she ignores material comforts, she carefully preserves certain objects:

old books, newspapers, letters, photographs, her nursing diploma, an old Hebrew Bible, silver spoons.

These objects connect her with her past and her ideals.

They represent her memories and identity.

The Mother's Love for Literature

One of the mother's greatest passions is reading.

She frequently reads to her children.

She reads:

stories of Jewish heroes,

stories of revolutionaries,

works by great writers like:

Leo Tolstoy,

Maxim Gorky,

Sholem Aleichem.

She never asks whether the children understand.

She believes that they will understand later.

The narrator enjoys listening but often feels embarrassed because she interrupts his games to read to him.

The Mother's Childhood in Russia

Later the narrator reconstructs his mother's early life.

She was born into a poor Jewish family in Russia.

Her father was:

strict, religious, disappointed because he had only daughters.

Her mother was weak and overworked.

Because of anti-Jewish violence, Jewish children rarely played outside.

The mother spent much of her childhood indoors.

She had almost no friends.

She had never even seen:

flowers, trees, birds.

Her childhood was lonely and deprived.

Becoming an Orphan

At the age of fifteen, she lost both her parents.

She went to live with a widowed aunt.

Her aunt considered her a burden because she had no dowry.

The young girl was lonely and neglected.

At this time she could neither read nor write.

She spent her days:

helping in the kitchen,

staring at walls,

living in sadness and isolation.

Discovery of Education

A visitor to the house noticed the lonely girl and decided to educate her.

This changed her life completely.

She learned:

reading, writing, arithmetic, Russian and Jewish literature.

Books opened a completely new world before her.

She became convinced that:

education was the path to freedom and self-realization.

She developed a passionate love for learning.

Her Journey to the Hospital

She decided to leave her aunt's house and seek work in a Jewish hospital.

Her aunt considered the idea foolish.

Nevertheless, she persisted.

Finally, she was allowed to go.

With only a few possessions, she entered the wider world.

Life at the Hospital

The reality of the hospital disappointed her.

Instead of a noble and idealistic life, she found:

hard labour, loneliness, exhaustion.

She scrubbed floors and washed clothes all day.

Yet she never abandoned her dreams.

She continued studying.

Eventually she passed examinations and obtained a nursing diploma.

The Medical Mission

After becoming a nurse, she joined a medical mission that travelled to regions suffering from a cholera epidemic.

These years became the happiest period of her life.

She lived among people who were:

idealistic, compassionate, devoted to humanity.

She felt:

useful, respected, intellectually fulfilled.

These memories remained precious throughout her life.

The End of Her Dreams

The revolutionary events of 1905 brought this period to an end.

The medical mission was dissolved.

Several of her colleagues were killed.

Once again, her dreams were shattered.

She returned to ordinary nursing work.

Meeting the Father

While working as a nurse, she met the narrator's father.

They were complete opposites.

The mother was:

serious, idealistic, reserved.

The father was:

cheerful, talkative, humorous, carefree.

He loved:

stories,

jokes,

entertainment,

friends.

For a while, he brought happiness into her life.

Early Married Life

In the early years of marriage they:

visited music halls,

attended social gatherings,

enjoyed themselves.

However, the mother gradually became unhappy.

She disliked:

business, commercial life, speculation, financial instability.

She wanted purpose and ideals.

The father, however, lived only for the present

Decision to Migrate

Believing that a new country would bring stability and opportunity, the mother decided to emigrate.

After much persuasion, the family moved to Australia.

Arrival in Australia

The father quickly adjusted.

He regarded Australia as a land of opportunity.

The mother reacted very differently.

From the very first day she felt:

alienated, unwelcome, misunderstood.

She believed people looked at immigrants with:

pity, superiority, condescension.

She never learned English and never truly accepted Australia as her home.

Her Dreams for Her Children

Gradually her entire life became centred on her children.

She wanted them to excel:

in literature,

in medicine,

in music.

She believed that education and culture would save them from the emptiness of modern life.

She devoted enormous energy to their intellectual development.

Love of Music and Culture

Because they were poor, she could not afford music lessons.

Instead, she took her children to:

music shops,

universities,

places of learning.

She asked shopkeepers to play records for them even though she had no intention of buying them.

This often caused embarrassment to her children.

But she firmly believed:

"Just because we are poor must we cease our striving?"

Humiliations and Disappointments

Again and again they were refused entry or treated with condescension.

The mother recognized social inequalities everywhere.

She concluded that Australia was not fundamentally different from other countries.

Yet she never gave up her belief in:

education,

ideals,

human improvement.

Final Realization

Toward the end of the story, she admits sadly:

"For me I can never find my way into this life here."

This statement expresses her lifelong sense of exile and alienation.

However, she still hopes that her children may succeed where she has failed.

The story ends with the moving image of the mother turning away:

stooped, weary, defeated.

Yet she remains a figure of dignity, courage, and idealism.

The protagonist is never given a personal name. She is referred to simply as "Mother."

This has several implications:

1. Universalization of the Character

She becomes the representative of motherhood itself.

2. Emphasis on Her Identity

Her entire life revolves around:

her children,

their future,

their education,

their happiness.

3. Symbolic Meaning

She represents:

sacrifice,

endurance,

idealism,

courage.

By leaving her unnamed, Waten elevates her from an individual person to a universal symbol of motherhood.

Mother as a Symbol of Struggle

The mother spends her entire life struggling against:

poverty,

ignorance,

loneliness,

social discrimination,

migration,

disappointment.

At every stage of life she encounters obstacles, yet she never completely loses her faith in learning and human ideals.

She embodies:

courage in adversity.

First-Person Narrative Technique

The story is narrated in the first person by the son.

The use of "I" has several advantages.

It creates intimacy.

Readers feel that they are listening to personal memories.

It creates authenticity.

The events appear truthful and genuine.

It creates emotional depth.

The adult narrator looks back upon childhood experiences with understanding and sympathy.

Retrospective Narration

The story is told through memory.

The narrator frequently says that certain things became clear to him only years later.

This technique is called retrospective narration.

The story is both a personal memoir and a social document.