George's Mother

About this book

George's Mother is a moving story about a mother, the little old woman, and her son, George. They are in the same tenement as the Johnsons of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, but have a much dearer relationship. George's Mother is at the center of it all as a warm loving mother, worried about her son. When George hears his mother is sick, he comes home immediately despite looking uncool to his rowdy friends, and soothes his mother. He shows his deep caring for her which moves her as well. Critics have spoken about George's being a drunk, an alcoholic, and the like. But that is not core to the story because George keeps his job for a long time; when he loses it, much of that is because he has been led into thinking work is not cool, to use the modern term. He drinks, he carouses, but unlike the characters in Maggie A Girl of the Streets, George stays home quietly many nights with his mother and reads the paper.