The Mother in the short story "Daughter of Invention", by Julia Alvarez can be defined as an antiheroine, an ordinary, non-glorious, modern citizen you can easily relate with. The way she misuses aphorisms, her "great" inventions and the way she helps her daughter, draws you in and make you feel a connection with her.
             Probably the most memorable part of this story is how the Mother misuses aphorisms. Whenever she wants to get a point across, she always uses a wise saying. When her daughters try to speak in Spanish, she simply says to them, "When in Rome, do unto the Romans." That would stop the argument dead. Her Daughters probably never have anything to say that. My personal favorite, however, is when her daughter needs to write a speech for school but can't think of any thing to write. Her mother is able to help her by saying, "Just remember how Mister Lincoln couldn't think of anything to say at the Gettysburg, but then, Bang! 'Four score and once upon a time ago '." But hey, it wasn't her fault; after all, she was still "Green behind the ears," with her English.
             The Mother is also a part time inventor. Nothing big, of course, "never pressing, global matters." That was for the men to do." Instead she just focused on little household inventions. She invented coffee with creamer already mixed in, a key chain with a timer that would go off when your parking meter was about to expire, a car bumper that comes complete with its own can opener and, most importantly, a suitcase with wheels. If her family had taken her serious and helped her patent her invention, they would have been rich, but I think her family stopped taking her seriously after the bumper/can opener idea.
             The Mother in "Daughter of Invention" is great at dealing with her daughter, both as a mother and as a friend. When they first move to America, the mother is st...