New York Day Women

This story struck my interest because Suzette has always believed certain things about her mother, but in this one outing her Suzette's mother kind of changes her whole perspective.  Suzette has this whole image of her mother and in one day it's shattered.  Suzette's mother does nothing wrong, this double life that she may live is by no means a shady one, but it seems to go against a few of the things Suzette grew up believing about her mom.  The last line of the passage really stuck out to me, "Shame is heavier than a hundred bags of salt," to me it sounds like the reason Suzette's mother may not have gone out with her as much as she may have wanted was because her mother did not feel good enough.  Suzette's mother may have felt like an outcast in America, like she did not belong, or may just like she brought Suzette down in the public image, and she did not want to do that to her daughter.  I think that Suzette's mother's "protection"/lack of being there, may have hurt Suzette more than her mother thinks or knows.  I don't think that Suzette's mother fears Suzette shaming herself but just that she will bring shame to Suzette.  Speaking from personal experience, growing up an immigrant or the child of immigrant parents is extremely difficult, as a child you just want to fit in and your parents want what is best for you, and I strongly believe Suzette's mother just wanted Suzette to fit in and that is why she refused to go out in public or to her school meetings.  Now that Suzette sees her mother out in public eating things she shouldn't, or contradicting some of the things she has said in the past I think she may want to question her, but I'm not sure if she will. If she does end up questioning her mother I hope she understands her reasoning for being the way she is.