As a mother, would you value your reputation more than your own child? Unconditional love is a powerful bond that is expected from mothers; however, some mothers may fail to create or share this bond naturally with their children. In the short story “Cora Unashamed,” we go through the life of a young Black woman who works as a servant for a wealthy family. The mother of this family is Art. Throughout this story, there are several nuances between Cora and Art’s behaviors. The most significant of these is how they behave toward Art’s biological daughter, Jessie. Though not related by blood, Cora is the real mother of Jessie, as she values Jessie’s happiness, safety, and she unconditionally loves her.
Cora valued Jessie’s happiness above most other things, as any loving mother would. She would make her best efforts to protect Jessie from her mother. The narrator states that “when Mrs. Art spanked her, as soon as
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When Jessie gets pregnant, she tells Cora first, “She told Cora about it like a mother. She was afraid to tell Mrs. Art. Afraid! Afraid! Afraid!” (3) Jessie was afraid of her mother’s reaction, so she confided in Cora first. This level of trust shows how safe Jessie feels with Cora, knowing she will do her best to keep her safe; like a mother would for her own child. Being Jessie’s mother, Cora was clearly heartbroken when she failed to keep her safe. At Jessie’s funeral, Cora proclaims: “"They preaches you a pretty sermon and they don't say nothin'. They sings you a song, and they don't say nothin'. But Cora's here, honey, and she’s gone tell'em what they done to you. She's gonna tell'em why they took you to Kansas City.”” (5) . This lashing out demonstrates how Cora genuinely believed Jessie to be her daughter. Cora is hurting how a mother would. Art, however, “stiff as a board” (5) is apathetic to her daughter’s death, she is only appalled when Cora speaks out about the reason her daughter has passed