M is for Mother

A Brief Summary:

A short chapter, M is for Mother, Mothering Sunday performs two roles. Simply, it compares the mothers of Boy A and Boy B. It appears that the mother of Boy A is dutiful and kind whereas the mother of Boy B left at an early stage of his life, only communicating with the family by sending them a postcard every Mother’s Day.

On a more subtle level it encourages the reader to think of the lives of these two women and how both felt let down by their respective husbands. Boy A’s mother is hurt when Mother’s Day is forgotten and by the general loss of passion in their relationship that has become “dutiful rather than wonderful”. In contrast it is hardly a surprise that the mother of Boy B sought to leave her family, particularly her drunkard husband and her violent older son.

This encouragement to empathise with the women is brought home most poignantly in the final paragraph of the chapter. Boy A’s mother recognised him on CCTV footage broadcast on the news a full five days before his arrest. She has just been waiting for the inevitable knock on her door. When the police arrive the fear and panic she feels when she brings Boy A down from his bedroom is starkly conveyed in the description of the mother and son “…holding hands, on trembling legs”.

Points for consideration:

• This is a novel that constantly surprises readers by revealing new facts. How does this extra detail about Boy B’s family background inform our understanding of him and his behaviour?
• To what extent is the writer explaining Boy B’s behaviour through his parental background? How important is parental influence in moral development? How important is genetics? How important is peer influence. How much do you agree with this article?