Push: readers guide question

In this post I'm going to focus on a question from the readers guide of my book. Q: Push presents what one viewer called "one of the most disturbing portraits of motherhood ever published." (city paper November 1996). How would you explain or interpret Precious' mother Behavior?

Precious' mother was basically not a mother (in my opinion) She had abused her daughter all the time, giving her beatings for the slightest things, and throwing things at her. She insults her daughter every chance she can get calling her "fat ass," "lying whore," "You cant learn shit," even things such as "I should have aborted your ass." She hits her daughter every which way possible not only physically but verbally. When you have a mother thats doing this it can cause a child a great deal of harm, an inability to grow up to be a "normal" civilized human being. Along with the verbal and physical abuse, her mother sexually abused her as well. I think that she was more or less in a sense enslaved by her mother. Not only does her mother abuse her sexually but her father as well, and her mother blames that abuse on her. When I think of a mother I think of a warm hearted person who gives her unconditional love, and support to her child. When I read this I was reminded of the definition of a mother. (mŭTH'ər) n.

1. 1. A female person who is pregnant with or gives birth to a child.
   2. A female person whose egg unites with a sperm, resulting in the conception of a child.
   3. A woman who adopts a child.