Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Mother Barker

Mother Barker teaches Abyssinia pretty much everything she knows. How to bake the perfect pound cake? Check. Which roots cure which ailments? Check. Where to find the singing voice Abby thinks she's lost? Check. Which career to pursue? Check. Seriously—Mother Barker brings the guidance in spades, mentoring Abby from childhood and into early adulthood, and then setting her up for a lifetime of meaningful work after she dies.