Oppressive Relationships: Mother and Son
A story of oppression, repressed individuality, conformity, and a strained mother-son relationship depicted through vivid imagery in a stifling and heavy atmosphere. The son's feelings of monotony and discomfort are highlighted in the setting, emphasizing the lack of control and resentment he feels towards his mother in their constrained household.
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Mother and Son A story of oppression, individuality, conformity and the terrible relationship between a mother and son.
Mother and Son is a story of oppression, repressed individuality, conformity and the terrible relationship between a mother and son. As you identify examples of techniques consider how they contribute to the oppressive, heavy feeling. Look at the house and the weather in particular.
Page 1 The setting from the start creates a stifling, oppressive atmosphere. It was raining out, the house was in partial darkness , and the daylight was hooded by thick yellow curtains . The dark, dull imagery throughout reflects how closed in the son feels. His work was both monotonous and uncomfortable monotonous suggests repetitive and boring. This seems to suggest that his life is the same. He is uncomfortable , unhappy. [T]he match flickered and went out with an apologetic cough . Light struggles to exist in this house. The pathetic nature of apologetic cough reinforces the weakness of light in this situation. The light clung to the wick is also rather pathetic, as clung suggests a desperation, as if holding on for dear life
Page 2 The kitchen was painted a dull yellow . His sleeping mother had a bitter smile . Bitter suggests something unpleasant, distasteful. That her smile was bitter suggests it was not sincere. This is reinforced by as if fixed there , which suggests it is simply hung on or attached to her face His distaste for his mother is emphasised when she is described as looking as if she were wrestling with some terrible witch s idea in her dreams . He curses helplessly when he drops the matches. WC suggests a lack of control over the way things are going. The monotony and oppressive nature of his life is reinforced in many ways: o The clock struck five wheezingly , as if it is struggling on like an elderly person o He explains that his anger towards his mother is a regular occurrence when he recognises the inadequacy of this familiar retort . He is inadequate, and this happens all the time
