Mrs. Mawhinney

Mrs. Mawhinney is a Georgia-born resident of Kentucky whose everyday cooking helps Sandy Roth describe the household where he is staying. Through his recollections, she is associated with a generous country table and with food made from ingredients the family raises or prepares itself.

Identity and Setting

Sandy points to Mrs. Mawhinney as someone whose speech reflects the region, telling Philip Roth that she is from Georgia. She lives in Kentucky with Mr. Mawhinney, and Sandy’s remarks place her within the household that has taken him in during his participation in Just Folks.

Household and Food

Mrs. Mawhinney makes pancakes for breakfast every morning, served with bacon. The bacon is smoked by Mr. Mawhinney in the household smokehouse, while the family’s Sunday breakfast also includes eggs from their own chickens. Sandy describes the eggs as exceptionally fresh, gathered from the chickens and brought inside to be eaten. His account makes Mrs. Mawhinney’s domestic world vivid through its daily routines and home-produced food, rather than through extended description of her personality or background.