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Homework Help: English: Writing: Mother-Daughter FictionThe recent film, The Joy Luck Club, sparked popular interest in the mother/daughter relationship. Understanding the relationship is critical to young adult girls because daughters bond with their mothers in a complex, interdependent association that often inhibits a daughter from establishing her own identity. By describing the daughter\'d5s quest for autonomy from different viewpoints, novels can offer possible solutions to the problems faced by adolescents. This article will summarize the sociological literature that describes the mother/daughter relationship and review current young adult novels that depict this relationship. The sociological literature describes the strong bond between mother anddaughter as one inhibiting the daughter from establishing her own identity. Thefirst bonding in infancy is with the mother. Although this initial bonding istrue for both sexes, boys break away at an early age to identify with theirfathers. In a recent journal article, "Mothers and Daughters: A Discussion ofTheory and Research," Carol Boyd reviewed theories that focus on the uniquenessof the mother/daughter relationship. She cites Nancy Chodorow, a pioneer inresearching mothers and daughters, who explained, "The mother is the early caregiver and primary source of identification for all children.... A daughtercontinues to identify with the mother" (p. 292). Boyd also summarized theresearch done by Lucy Fischer, who "maintained that because mothers anddaughters identify with each other, and because their individual boundaries arenot always clear, daughters struggle all their lives to separate from theirmothers" (p. 292). The mother/daughter relationship undergoes added conflict and strain in theadolescent years because the mother is the primary role model and teacher ofcultural values. Margaret Notar and Susan McDaniel wrote an article in thejournal Adolescence describing the mother/daughter relationship as"...often conflictual, particularly during their daughter's adolescence, and[it] manifests many of the ambiguities and confusions about the social meaningsof womanhood and motherhood." They further note two studies, Flax in 1978 andFisher in 1981, that report that adolescent daughters hold the most negativeattitudes toward their mothers and that the daughter's quest for autonomy,often manifested sexually, is not commended by the mothers (p. 13). Vivien Nicein her book Mothers and Daughters states that mothers teach theirdaughters to be dependent. "...Mothers are seen to teach [daughters] ... tomeet men's needs and suppress their own. Girls are taught to be attractive andcaring, not to outshine men intellectually ... and to look for approval" (p.46). Nice quotes Gilbert and Webster: "Each mother has to transmit the rules offemininity to her daughter to help them survive in the world as she knows it"(p. 83). These two teachings, dependency and a code of behavior, contribute toconflict and to making the separation more difficult. Many works, written by and for adult women, describe the turmoil of selfdiscovery and the pain of mother/daughter separation. Before Amy Tan wroteThe Joy Luck Club in 1989, well-known feminist writers had explored themother/daughter relationship: Paule Marshall in Brown Girl, Brownstones(1959); Alice Walker in Meridian (1976); Jamaica Kincaid in AnnieJohn (1985); and Toni Morrison in Beloved (1987). In contrast, few authors describe the mother/daughter relationship in theirnovels for young adults. The mother is often removed physically through travel,illness or death, or emotionally through dependence on alcohol or drugs. Byremoving the mother, these authors may allow the daughter more freedom to faceand solve problems on her own. However, this device does not describe thesituation of most young adult women. All women are daughters and must resolvethe conflicts inherent in the mother/daughter relationship if they are tounderstand themselves and ultimately to establish their own identity. Although the trend by young adult authors to ignore the mother/daughterrelationship prevails, there are a few young adult novels that depict aspectsof the relationship. The mother/daughter relationship may become a focusbecause of a family response to an outside conflict, or the daughter'srebellion against the values of society or, more specifically, against hermother's lifestyle. Identifying these novels can be difficult because, when themother/daughter relationship is not a central theme, it will not be defined inthe short annotation or listed in the subject headings. Physical separation by illness and death existed in traditional series such asNancy Drew, and it exists in today's young adult novels. Cynthia Voigt haswritten a series of novels about Dicey Tillerman, who leads her brothers andsisters from Maine to find her grandmother in Maryland. Yuki, the heroine inShizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori, survives despite the void in her lifedue to her mother's suicide. Mori presents the dichotomy of the mother/daughterrelationship. Through haunting memories, Yuki relives the beauty in themother/daughter bond; through her everyday life she experiences the rules andrestraints established by her stepmother. In Klause's Silver Kiss,although Zoe's mother has not yet died and is able to provide comfort andadvice, she is physically unavailable since she is in the hospital. Klausecaptures one aspect of the mother/daughter relationship in her description ofZoe skipping school to visit her mother, the only person in whom she couldconfide. Death and illness provide one type of separation. Authors also separate themother and daughter by travel. Theresa Nelson, in The Beggar's Ride,portrayed this separation by describing the daughter, Clare, running away fromhome. Clare left quickly, taking only her clothes and enough money from hermother's purse for bus fare. Removing the mother through work (i.e., the motherworks long hours or in a distant location) is another method authors employ toforce separation. Grayling, the main character in Jean Thesman's The RainCatchers, spends her first fourteen years with her grandmother while hermother works in a distant city and visits only once a year. Grayling seeks tounderstand herself by discovering why her mother abandoned her. A similar plotoccurs in Conrad's Taking the Ferry Home, in which Ali spends the summerwith her father while her mother remains at home to complete herdissertation. In other novels, the mother is absent emotionally, often as a result of alcoholor drug dependency. In Taking the Ferry Home, wealthy and sophisticatedSimone suffers from her mother's addiction to both alcohol and drugs. Themothers' emotional dependence often requires that the daughters assume the roleof "mother" in that they make decisions and assume responsibility. In NiceGirl From Good Home, Fran Arrick writes about a family adjusting toeconomic hardships. Dory copes, but her mother slips into depression andfinally suicide. In Amazing Gracie, a similar story, Gracie manages thehousehold affairs, cooks, and cleans, trying to save her mother from depressionand, in this case, attempted suicide. In some novels, events outside the family relationship precipitate a shift inthe relationship between mother and daughter. In Susan Beth Pfeffer's MakeBelieve, Carrie and her family must adjust to a divorce in a family that isvery close to them. Carrie and her mother disagree on whether to make the firstoverture to their friends. After instructing Carrie not to call Jill, Carrie'smother disregards her own advice and calls Jill's mother. In Jean Thesman'sMolly Donnelly, World War II disrupts family life and is the catalystfor mother/daughter conflict. Molly's mother begins work in the defensefactory, leaving Molly to care for her younger brother. Molly wants the war toend, her mother to return home, and for them to be a happy family again. ToMolly's amazement, her mother announces she would not give up the freedom ofworking: "A woman's a fool if she gives up a good job for housework." TheVietnam Conflict represents the outside force in And One For All byTheresa Nelson. In this novel, Geraldine's brother enlists in the Army.Although the whole family suffers from the strain of this war, Geraldineespecially misses her brother. Both mother and daughter share a common tragedyin each of these novels. Although the mother offers advice, she is unable toalleviate the daughter's pain. Three young adult novels that confront the daughter's quest for autonomy areSee You Thursday by Jean Ure, Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples,and Echoes of the White Giraffe by Sook Nyul Choi. In See YouThursday, sixteen-year-old Marianne falls in love with Abe, the blindboarder who rents an upstairs room. To Marianne, Abe is the man who teaches herto love music and to feel comfortable around people. To Marianne's mother,twenty-four-year-old Abe represents a threat: so she sends him away. Theconflict continues as Marianne visits Abe in his new apartment without hermother's knowledge. Staples' Shabanu, set in Pakistan, portraysShabanu's nomadic life raising camels. Staples contrasts Shabanu's willfulnature with her sister Phulan, who obediently follows her parents' wishes. Theparental attitude is reflected by the mother who states, "What we decide forboth of you is what you will do. You aren't old enough to know what's good foryou." Shabanu rebels when her parents pledge her to marry an older man. Thethird book, Choi's Echoes of the White Giraffe, is also set in a remotetime and place. Choi sets the story in Korea during the Korean war anddescribes the fabric of a mother/daughter relationship. Sookan, knowing shewould bring shame on herself and her family, nevertheless agrees to bephotographed with her friend -- a privilege permitted only to engaged couples.When her mother learns of this deception from the young man's parents, sheprohibits Sookan from participating in activities that would put the two youngpeople together. The mother admonishes her daughter saying, "...I amdisappointed that you kept this from me. I know you are at the age where yourheart rules. But you could have told me...." Finally, there are the young adult novels that describe the mother/daughterconflict that occurs when the daughter selects her own and rejects her mother'slifestyle. Vivien Nice describes the separation as confusing in that thedaughter does not know where she begins and the mother ends (p. 49-50). TheNewbery Award winning Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson portraysSara Louise Bradshaw competing with her talented sister for attention as sheseeks to discover her path in life. In a dramatic scene in which Sara Louisetries to comprehend that her mother chose life on the small islandinstead of going to Paris, Sara Louise implores, "Well, just don't try to makeme like you are." Another young adult novel that centers on a girl's attempt tofind her place is Jerry Spinelli's There's a Girl In My Hammerlock. WhenMaise doesn't make the cheerleading team, she joins the wrestling team. Teammembers scorn her, her brother and best friend shun her, and opponents preferforfeiting rather than wrestling her. Although not pleased with Maise'sdecision, her mother offers support. A very recent book, Sarah Ellis's Pick-Up Sticks, relates the story of adaughter rejecting her mother's lifestyle. Polly seeks order and security whileher artistic mother fails to plan ahead. When they cannot find a new apartment,Polly screams, "Why did you choose to be a mother if you can't even do itright?" Notar and McDaniel stated, "One of the earliest and most profound bonds womenform with each other is that of mother and daughter" (p. 1). Although therelationship is complex, young adults often need to understand their mothers inorder to understand themselves. Well-developed fiction can provide a powerfulmessage of comfort, reassuring daughters that others have experienced the painand confusion of growing independence. Amy Tan inspired popular interest. Someyoung adult novelists reviewed here have illuminated the relationship. Perhapsfuture works of young adult fiction will contribute more to the understandingof the mother/daughter relationship. Annotated List of Books * Arrick, Fran. Nice Girl From Good Home. Bradbury, 1984.
Dory, a high school sophomore with a crush on her senior brother's bestfriend, leads a normal, middle-class life until her father loses his job.Arrick explores the family's adjustment to this catastrophe, including themother's inability to face reality and subsequent suicide. * Cannon, A. E. Amazing Gracie. Delacorte, 1991.
Competent Gracie sews her mother's wedding gown and wears the ugly dress herstepfather bought in order to save her mother from worry and embarrassment. Themarriage means moving to a new town and adjusting to a younger stepbrother.Gracie copes with all this until her mother slips into depression and attemptssuicide. * Choi, Sook Nyul. Echoes of the White Giraffe. Houghton Mifflin,1993.
Forced to flee Seoul during bombing in the Korean War, fifteen-year-oldSookan, her mother, and her younger brother adjust to living as refugees in asmall mountain hut. The daily climb to the hut takes an hour. Sookan sings inthe church choir where she meets Junho, a quiet, thoughtful boy who becomes aspecial friend. * Conrad, Pam. Taking the Ferry Home. Harper and Row, 1988.
Ali spends the summer with her writer father on an island where rich SimoneSilver vacations at the family retreat. Simone includes Ali in her search forsummer romance. Alcoholism is a focus of the novel: Ali's father is arecovering alcoholic who goes to AA meetings, and Simon's mother is a chronicalcoholic and drug abuser. * Ellis, Sarah. Pick-Up Sticks. Margaret McElderry Books, 1992.
When thirteen-year-old Polly and her mother are forced to select a newapartment, their temperaments clash. Polly seeks the security of an orderlylife; her artistic mother accepts and enjoys the unexpected. Polly resents hermother's lack of planning and chooses to live with her uncle. * Klause, Annette Curtis. Silver Kiss. Delacorte, 1990.
This is a supernatural story focusing on Zoe, a normal American teenager, andSimon, who "well, Simon is different." Zoe feels that she is losing everythingimportant because her mother is dying of cancer and her best friend is moving.Simon understands Zoe's feelings of loneliness because he has been alone forcenturies. * Mori, Kyoko. Shizuko's Daughter. Henry Holt, 1993.
Uki, a teenager in Japan, discovers her mother's suicide and hates life withher new stepmother. Fond memories of a kind, loving, beautiful mother contrastwith the day-to-day arguments with her stepmother. * Nelson, Theresa. And One For All. Orchard Books, 1989.
Geraldine Brennan relates her family life during 1966-1968, the VietnameseConflict. She is very close to her older brother, Wing, and his friend, Sam,until Wing joins the Army and Sam begins handing out anti-war leaflets. * Nelson, Theresa. The Beggar's Ride. Orchard Books, 1992.
Clare runs away from her night-club-singing mother and her mother's newest boyfriend. In Atlantic City, she joins a gang of homeless youths who steal tosurvive. * Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved. Crowell, 1980.
Sara Louise believes she is like Esau of the Bible story, and that herbeautiful, talented twin sister, Caroline, is the loved and cherished sister.Set on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in the 1940s, the novel relates theproblems of growing up and self discovery. * Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Make Believe. Henry Holt, 1993.
Not only are thirteen-year-old Carrie and Jill best friends, but theirfamilies have always been friends. Tragedy hits both families when Jill'sfather announces his planned divorce and remarriage. * Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. Knopf, 1989.
Set in Pakistan, the novel tells the story of eleven-year-old Shabanu's lifein the desert. Shabanu does not like "women's work" and prefers to help herfather with the camels. When she discovers that she is pledged to marry anolder man, she must decide whether to go through with the marriage or defy herfamily. * Spinelli, Jerry. There's a Girl In My Hammerlock. Simon and Schuster,1991.
Thirteen-year-old Maise is a star athlete. When she does not make thecheerleading team, she decides to join the wrestling team to be near Eric.Accepted by neither team members nor team parents, Maise faces a difficultyear. * Thesman, Jean. Molly Donnelly. Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Set in Seattle during World War II, this story tells of family adjustments tothe war. Blackouts, Japanese resettlement, and rationing are described. * Thesman, Jean. The Rain Catchers. Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
Gray lives with her grandmother in a house of women, where one is dying ofcancer. Gray and her best friend Colleen listen to the stories told by thewomen at tea time. Gray's mother, who works in San Francisco, decides it istime for Gray to live with her. * Ure, Jean. See You Thursday. Delacorte, 1981.
Sixteen-year-old Marianne lives with her mother, who decides to take in aboarder. At first Marianne hates the loss of privacy, but she learns to lovethis new man who is blind and who takes the time to listen to her. * Voigt, Cynthia. Dicey's Song. Atheneum, 1982.
In this sequel to Homecoming, thirteen-year-old Dicey Tillerman keepsher brothers and sister together after her mother's death. Dicey travels fromMaine to her grandmother's home on the Chesapeake Bay, where she finds a job toearn money to help her grandmother. References Agee, Jan M. "Mothers and Daughters: Gender-Role Socialization in Two NewberyAward Books," Children's Literature in Education, 24.3, 1991, pp.165-183.Boyd, Carol J. "Mothers and Daughters: A Discussion of Theory and Research,"Journal of Marriage and the Family, May, 1989, pp. 291-301.Curtis, Anita. "Perceived Similarity of Mothers and Their Early AdolescentDaughters and Relationship to Behavior," Journal of Youth andAdolescence, 20.3, 1991, pp. 381-397.Hirsch, Marianne. The Mother Daughter Plot: Narrative, Psychoanalysis,Feminism. Indiana University Press, 1989.Nice, Vivien E. Mothers & Daughters: The Distortion of aRelationship. St. Martins Press, 1992.Nickerson, Eileen T. "Mothers and Daughters/Daughters and Mothers: An UnbrokenCycle in Female Development." American Association of Counseling andDevelopment, Boston, 15-18 March, 1989, ERIC ED 305 560.Nortar, Margaret and Susan A. McDaniel. "Feminist Attitudes and Mother-DaughterRelationships in Adolescence," Adolescence, 21.81, 1986, pp. 11-21.Pearlman, Mickey, ed. Mother Puzzles: Daughters and Mothers in ContemporaryAmerican Literature. Greenwood, 1989.Walters, Suzanna Danuta. Lives Together/Worlds Apart: Mothers and Daughtersin Popular Culture. University of California Press, 1992. Homework Help: English: Writing For Further Reading
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