Most of the stories discussed here are told in a positive light. The negative side,
though implicitly extant, is rarely verbalized.  No where is this more clearly demonstrated
than in this section. Almost any discussion about their mothers unveils a dichotomy, the
witch/goddess. The witch.goddess domain is marked by vivid understatements. At the
first interview Eboni used well crafted cover stories to emphasize an idealized picture of
her mother. Jade gilds her mother-goddess by omission. Silver uses conciliatory
explanations. Eboni's representative reminder, that it is difficult to speak about one's
mother without respect (June 97), contextualizes this analysis as we consider the mother's
roles in Table 1. Miles and Huberman (1984) made a strong case for creating data
displays to help analyze the data. These displays shown here "allow for a more refined
analysis and can lead to new displays and analyses" as we "eyeball" the data (p.82).



        The five storied roles of the mother are listed in Table 1 as the women-as-
daughters described them. Jade, who storied the almost-perfect mother guided us through
this display



        Jade and Silver are unequivocal in their description of the positive effect of
nurturing mothers. They story a nurturing climate in which they learn and thrive. Jade
stories an intense mother-daughter bond, exclusive to the outside world. "We had our
own little world," she recalls. Shades of matrophobia undergird Silver's story that she
shares with Eboni and me. Neither Silver or Jade mention a separation theme. Both Jade
and Silver refer to the unschooled brilliance of their mothers. They story the motivating
power of mothers who wanted more for their daughters than they had for themselves.
While maternal motivation had little to do with the practice of education, it did much to
facilitate the achievement of their educational goals. Both families changed locations to
attain the college education the mothers insisted upon. The women voice instances of
affirmation and adulation, which shaped the development of their will and moved them
toward positive self-esteem.

        Eboni, in contrast, found that need for more basic physiological needs-safety
and security-triggered her move away from her mother's clutches. She actively sought
and found women-othermothers-who fit her description of the archetypical 'Good
mother'. Despite it all, Eboni is resigned to the duty-centered reality of caring for her
biological mother when she gets older. "I know I'll have to take care of her. My brothers
aren't gonna do it."