Johnnie’s Mother is a doting woman who is upset when Johnnie volunteers and worries about him when he’s at Camp Currie. She writes him a letter reminding him of her maternal love and letting him know that he has a place to return to if he’d like to leave Federal Service; she thus represents the pull of “soft” civilian life against the harsh realities of military service. But she also symbolizes the importance of civic duty: she’s on vacation in Buenos Aires when the Bugs attack, and although Johnnie doesn’t learn about his loss for some time, when he does, his Mother’s death becomes yet another facet of why he—and his Father—serve.