Julian

     After reading your story for the second time I discovered, possibly, something you may not particularly like. Actually, I am pretty certain you are not going to like it at all. So here it is, you mirror your mother.
     The first and most obvious similarity centers around the suffering you both lived through. Your mother finds delight in her personal sacrifices, priding herself on her ability to give things up. You on the other hand, pride yourself on, and I quote, "In spite of going to only a third-rate college, he had, on his own initiative, come out with a first-rate college education; in spite of growing up dominated by a small mind, he was free of prejudice and unafraid to face facts," (156).  Here, you pride yourself on 'giving up' the easy life, where you could have gotten a third-rate education and a small mind.
     However, in your last bit you attempt to blur the definition of 'prejudice', perhaps to save yourself the shame of recognizing the similarity between you and your mother. Yes, you are free from your mothers prejudice against blacks, but you fill that empty spot with a prejudice against whites. A perfectly logical prejudice, but a prejudice just the same.
     So while you're recovering from you mothers death, I suggest you spend some time soul searching as well.

Megan