Helped by Her Son During Abusive Relationship in The Mother by Maxim Gorky

553 Words2 Pages

In Mother the audience is lead on a journey of strengthening and renewed youthfulness as the mother becomes increasingly active in her son’s movement. For twenty years the mother was held captive to an abusive, maddened husband whom constantly hurt the mother. During this time the mother became accustomed to her situation and only her son’s movement change this outlook on life. Gorky uses dark imagery and diction to portray the evolution of the mother from a fearful, weak person to a strong, youthful participant in her son’s movement. Pavel’s recurring kindness and openness to the mother allowed the mother to move forward but with the removal of Pavel her crutch is snatched from her and she falls. When the gendarmes arrived it is made clear that “this time the affair was not [as] terrorizing to her” (pg. 74). With Pavel’s arrest the mother was stronger in her understanding of the truth. She knew that it was necessary, but her strength did not last. “When the police had led Pavel away, the mother sat down on the bench, closing her eyes began to weep quietly” (pg. 75). The mot...

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