James' mother is a lonely woman who was deeply wounded by her first divorce and has had two more failed marriages in an attempt to fill the emptiness in her life. James' mother is also an unfocused, unhappy business woman who chooses a career that is doomed to make her no money and make her a laughing stock in a close knit social group. James' mother is in the middle of the failure of her third marriage as the novel begins and therefore seems only marginally aware of the struggles taking place in her son's life. However, she also appears to be a caring mother who simply cannot see what is happening in her son's life.