- After reading Bud, Not Buddy
Sometimes the character who has never shown in the novel could take an enormous role in the whole story. Angela Janet Caldwell (Calloway) is one of the most suitable models in the upper mention. Even though, the main protagonist Bud is leading the story, Angela’s sound worldviews can be found from place to place in the book. We can assume that Angela might have a tough time living with her precious son Bud based on her son’s stating his memory of the mother. Our aim is to highlight several aspects of Angela’s contribution to Bud. We shall now examine in more detail.
The initial motive for our stand that is exceptionally evident to everyone is that Angela is enlightening the importance of the family to Bud. Angela left her home cause of very strict treatment of her father. “I (Bud) said, "My mother said the same thing that families should be there for each other all the time. She always used to tell me that no matter where I went or what I did that she'd be there for me, even if she wasn't somewhere that I could see her. She told me …"” (72). This emphasis on family tidiness might be due to her guilty of leaving her family when she was nineteen “I (Bud) said, "No, sir, she (Angela) was old, but her eyes didn't go bad yet. She was twenty when I was born, and she was twenty-six when she died"” (159). She might want her son not to act like her. That is why she might be consistently emphasizing the importance of having a quality time with the family. In addition, she used to think about her father and whenever she happens to her father’s trace, and she got very dismayed. “I(Bud) remember Momma bringing this flyer with her when she came from working one day, I remember because she got very upset when she put it on the supper table and kept looking at it and picking it up and putting it back and moving it around. I was only six then and couldn't understand why this one got her so upset, she kept four others that were a lot like it in her dressing table, but this one really got her jumpy” (7-8). This could be a tiny example of her realizing the significance of family.
Possibly, one more cause exists in the reality that she is trying to let Bud know the life lesson about the importance of reading and industry through her showing reading books to him and constant working figure. Most of the parents tend to force their children to do something which the parents themselves do not follow their rules such as limiting the time of watching television and keeping the hour of rising. However, she is different. “But I was being just like Bret Rabbit in one of the books Momma used to read to me at night when he yelled out” (17), “She (Librarian) said, "Of course you may. You know, after I went home last night I finally recognized you. Didn't you and your mother used to come in here a long time ago?", "Yes, ma'am" ” (89). Otherwise, we can see her diligence. “Everything moved very, very fast when Momma was near, she was like a tornado, never resting, always looking around us, never standing still. The only time stuff didn't blow around when she was near was when she'd squeeze my arms and tell me things over and over and over and over”(41).
The third most significant reason for us is the fact that she let Bud know how to access his relative. With her inheritance-flyers, scribbled stones and most of all, her teaching to Bud when she was alive-, Bud could go through a tough situation and finally he could meet his grandfather. “I stuck my hand out. Both Mr. Jimmy and Herman E. Calloway said, "Your momma?", "Yes, sir." I kept my hand out. Mr. Jimmy said, "Bud, where did your mother get these?" I said, "I don't know, sir. She always had them."”(211-212). The author maybe wanted to deliver some educational lessons through Bud’s mother. We can say that he adequately achieved what he was trying to transfer to us.
