By Hannah White
Motherhood has been the focus of literature and film throughout history. From the well-known Victorian trope of the pious, meek, and obedient wife that Coventry Patmore coined “The Angel in the House”, to absent or distanced mothers, as I recently explored in Beth Nguyen’s essay “Apparent”, and even abusive mothers, such as in Jennette McCurdy’s shocking debut memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died”, mother figures have captivated writers and readers everywhere. The following is a list of mother figures in literature and film that have captivated me most:
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – Offred
At the top of this list is one of my favorite novels: Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. In an apocalyptic, Christian fundamentalist society in which women are reduced to their reproductive abilities, Offred will go to any length to be reunited with her daughter who was taken from her when she was captured and forced into becoming a handmaid.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – Marmee
Wise, selfless, and gentle, Little Women’s Marmee is a constant and exemplary figure in her daughter’s lives.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – Mrs. Bennet
Frivolous and eccentric, Mrs. Bennet is obsessed with achieving her life’s goal: to get her 5 daughters married off.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (absent mother)
I’ve noticed a theme of absent mothers in dystopian novels and films, from Katniss’s emotionally unavailable mother in The Hunger Games to the completely absent mother in The Road who committed suicide in a post apocalyptic world, leaving the father to care for his son alone. Berit Åström goes as far as to argue that the novel “uses post-feminist fatherhood to valorize the father and vilify the mother, thus participating in a continuing cultural trend of privileging fathers over mothers”.
Lady Bird (2017 – Greta Gerwig) – Marion
Troubled father son relationships are often explored in literature, but Gerwig’s Lady Bird showcases a strained relationship between a daughter who longs for a life beyond her small town and family’s financial struggles and her mother Marion who thinks her daughter unrealistic and ungrateful for what she has.
Carrie by Stephen King – Margaret White
Abusive to her daughter, Margaret teaches her that almost everything is a sin against God, pushing Carrie to her limits in this horror novel.
Now, Voyager (1942 – Irving Rapper) – Mrs. Vale
In this classic film, Charlotte Vale lives a life dominated by her mother, which has caused Charlotte to have no self-confidence. Charlotte goes away to spend time at a sanitarium and blossoms away from her mother’s reach.
Black Swan (2010 – Darren Aronofsky) – Erica
Nina is a professional ballerina in New York living with her overprotective mother, a former ballerina. This horror film explores the lengths one will go to in the pursuit of perfection.
Beloved by Toni Morrison – Sethe
Sethe has survived a traumatic escape from slavery but resorts to violent and unthinkable means to prevent her daughter from being taken back to the south by her previous master.