the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

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240 the mothers towards a more personalised mothering, free from the dictates of patriarchy; and a change in parenthood patterns wlth the involvement of fathers In the rearing of children, making motherhood an 'androgynous' activity rather than a 'feminine' one. 6.1.3. The fourth chapter --- 'Technological Motherhood'--- discussed the ideological treatment of technological motherhood and its relation to feminine / femlnist motherhood. It explored the questions: Does women's liberation require a biological revolution? Should women relinquish thelr reproductlve roles and take recourse to techniques of reproduction or should they retain then reproductlve powers in order to gain the actual experience of mothering, at the same time ensuring that it is not talnted by the patriarchal lnstltutlon of motherhood? The ongoing debate between supporters and detractors of technolog~cal motherhood as reflected in select femlnlst utoplas and dystoplas was studied in this chapter. 6.1.4. The focus of the flfth chapter --- 'The Aesthetics of Motherhood' shifted from thematic to aesthetic aspects of motherhood, indicating how a self-consc~ous feminist narrative polnt of view, structure, genre, imagery and myth contributed to working out the problematics of motherhood.
241 6.2.0. A quick recapitulation of the previous chapters points towards differing attitudes of the women characters towards motherhood - some accept it meekly and unquestioningly, others accept lt wlth an iota of scepticism, yet others accept ~t though they consider it a burden, some others accept it on thelr own terms, ignoring or questioning certain norms, some women totally rebel against foisted roles while others relect lt outright. Between acceptance, questioning and relectlon lie a range of attitudes whlch may be conservative, revolutionary. reactionary or radical. It hence becomes increasingly d~fficult to taper down these wlde-ranging claims to one Single deflnltion of femlnist motherhood Taking Into account the differences in cultural background of the femlnlst authors studled here, lt would be best to conslder the pluralistic attitudes towards motherhood, rather than tylng oneself to a single definition. 6.2.1. What, then, 1s fem1n:st motherhood? If lt 1s not a blind acceptance of motherhood, does it necessarily mean that 1t 1s a rejection of motherhood? The emerglng femlnist mothers del~neated in the prevlous chapters at some point or the other in thelr lives questlon or rebel agalnst the normally accepted Ideals of motherhood. But although Saru, Kate, Meridlan and Morag, at some stage, relinquish their mother-role, they later try to redefine it. The endings of
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THE PROBLEMATICS OF MOTHERHOOD IN T
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POONAM MINOCHA Research Scholar Dep
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The hand that rocks the cradle does
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university. New Delhi; Pondicherry
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CEAPTER - 11 INTRODUCTIONS PROBLEMA
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manipulation of her self whereas Mr
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This chapter explores the major que
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and career, single parenting, ambiv
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INTRODUCTION : PROBLEllATICS OP XOT
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3 institution of motherhood In her
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5 aspect of the female body and 'ge
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1.2.1. The dissertation takes for ~
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9 goddess with the human mother, im
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11 example, portrays Sophie, the 'i
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harm children 13 It argues instead
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15 fourteenth-century mother and he
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17 Gold, The Ice Age and The Middle
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19 1.6.2 The two American novelists
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21 finds herself at crossroads - sh
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enmeshed in the femlnine motherhood
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25 unrecognizable as individuals" (
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from the blologlcal to the psycho-s
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narrative point of view, structure,
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3 1 By emphasizing the primacy of m
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TO bear a child, preferably a son,
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35 the moral, transf0m:ng the biolo
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37 2.2.1. Before the summer of her
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2.2.1.3. Kate trles to Inculcate in
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sexually knowledgeable woman of the
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other hand, completely convinced by
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2.2.2.4. Ira retalns some of her mo
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47 2.2.2.7. Apart from Rukmani and
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malevolence of the instltutlon itse
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for her it involves both a give and
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5 3 daughter Beloved the second tim
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'feminist' daughter. 5 5 What one s
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57 nurturing relationship Walker he
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59 far preferable to rejection or i
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lnwlcation of the ability to relate
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63 mother After a long bout of fami
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Her frail independence gave way to
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male. Rich interprets Yahweh's comm
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2.5.3. Nectar in a Sieve reiterates
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. 71 internalization of a 'code of
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73 Gilman's concept, therefore, is
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to the Church in the same way as he
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77 2.7.1. Rukmani of Nectar in a Si
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79 The mother therefore serves as b
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81 comprehends that Michael's wife
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BEKINIST MOTBEICBOOD To be a good m
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85 3.2.0. In the novels under study
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3.3.1. In Alice Walker's Meridian,
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As will be seen subsequently, symbo
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91 that the daughter often recelves
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dentity. What Elaine Showalter says
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(1987.110) Although no resolution i
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97 :elect it. Her obsessive remembr
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core: "Daughter? I don't have any d
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OD she forms with her daughters. Be
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experience and motherhood as an ins
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105 of the double message she recei
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107 Jaya of That Long Silence and I
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109 saru marries Manu mainly to bre
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him on this account. Not withstandi
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113 chat that Went on in the queue,
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115 adaptability, but realizes that
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and behavlng well and you should an
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119 embodiment. Kate's dilemma is s
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121 them to be childrearers once th
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Work means getting away from home,
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125 would probably have become some
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127 motherhood and career only when
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129 she does not grant =he 'father'
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131 social construct, Gilman was wl
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out a change ln attitude towards mo
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135 the House' and loosening the te
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13 7 of one's Own' is essentlal to
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139 example that comes to mind imme
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141 experlences a fragmentation of
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TECHNOLOGIC& MOTEERBOOD It was part
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145 4.1.1. This brlngs us to the qu
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147 womb, sometimes after it has be
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149 bodies of brain-dead pregnant w
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151 4.2.4.1. Surrogate motherhood h
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153 vitro gestation (IVG) which inv
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155 pregnancy necessary? Do foetuse
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157 prosperity of then children dep
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159 strengthen male control over fe
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161 chlld, while advocates of techn
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clash with a woman's llved experlen
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165 children and more a displacemen
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167 w~th Adrienne Rich's stance tha
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169 allowing women to place themsel
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171 4.5.2 Mothering, In Mattapoiset
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173 with a new consclousness" (Lane
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175 subverts the existing stereotyp
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177 when they learn from the men th
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179 4.9.0. As Piercy's Wcrman on th
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181 patrlarchal culture, we see her
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THE USTEETICS OF MOTHERHOOD . Women
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185 sees lt, the mother's voice is
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esurrected female slave narrator's
Page 205 and 206: 189 daughter and her wrlting and wh
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Page 209 and 210: 193 on Kate, uslng the omniscient n
Page 211 and 212: 195 story, It is also the story of
Page 213 and 214: 197 narrative of her visit to a uto
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Page 217 and 218: 201 buffalo" (NS 14) brlngs to ligh
Page 219 and 220: 203 going to do, just lay there and
Page 221 and 222: 205 Further, the chlldren brought u
Page 223 and 224: everyone she knew - but it had neve
Page 225 and 226: more my style" (SBD . 228) says Mau
Page 227 and 228: 211 trees, fountains and flowers Th
Page 229 and 230: Quite ironically, the Commander's w
Page 231 and 232: 215 5.5.3.8. The river 1s a dominan
Page 233 and 234: 217 5.5.3.11. Morag of The Diviners
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Page 237 and 238: 221 mixed feelings about her child.
Page 239 and 240: 223 (WET:95) and "canned childLren1
Page 241 and 242: 225 Piercy's Woman on the Edge of T
Page 243 and 244: 227 5.5.9.6. "Maternity clothes", "
Page 245 and 246: 229 warmth and shelter and at the s
Page 247 and 248: 231 prompts Terry to remark that th
Page 249 and 250: deepest religious emotion, every fe
Page 251 and 252: 235 In Search of Our Mothers' Garde
Page 253 and 254: 237 Demeter, searching for her daug
Page 255: 239 - the ways in which feminine mo
Page 259 and 260: 243 freedom: those with an aptitude
Page 261 and 262: considered natural, conversely ther
Page 263 and 264: 247 not relieve the mother of her r
Page 265 and 266: 249 androcentric society which repe
Page 267 and 268: 251 The Summer Before the Dark and
Page 269 and 270: 253 should orientate themselves to
Page 271 and 272: 255 The Sunmar Before the Dark and
Page 273 and 274: 257 semen, socially, ethically and
Page 275 and 276: 259 feminine motherhood allow them
Page 277 and 278: 261 for exploration, and Gloria Nay
Page 279 and 280: SELECT BIBLIOaRAPHY PRIMARY SOWRCES
Page 281 and 282: Budhos, Shirley 1987: The Theme of
Page 283 and 284: Gould, Joan 1988: Spirale : A Woman
Page 285 and 286: Mala, R. 1989: The Predicment of th
Page 287 and 288: Rumsey, Jean P. 1990: "Constructing
Page 289: Veevers, J.E. 1991: Continuity and
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