Sarah’s understanding of what a mother should be is reflected by the role she fulfills during the play. While she is not sentimental and is practical in her approach to life, she is an excellent caregiver, providing safety and nourishment to her children, husband, and broader community throughout the play. She provides the constancy which a mother should provide in times of instability and confusion and is selfless in that while she does suffer her own personal tragedies, these do not cause her to disregard her maternal obligations.

While many of the play’s characters are socialists, Sarah is perhaps the only true socialist in that her maternal instincts to care for and keep together extends beyond her family to her broader community. I believe that Sarah is essentially a perfect mother in that she is selfless and provides emotional as well as material support for her children without stifling them. Her belief in socialism is motivated not by it’s promise of yielding her personal benefits but because it promises a better world for future generations—toward whom she feels strong maternal instincts.