Date of Award
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Wallace, Miriam
Area of Concentration
English
Abstract
This thesis focuses on exploring depictions of motherhood in popular twentieth and twenty-first century literature. I use shifting trends in maternal literature as a means of identifying women’s shifting anxieties and frustrations around motherhood, specifically through the lens of the traditional nuclear family structure. In Chapter 1, I analyze the cultural mythology of the Virgin Mary, in conjunction with Shin Kyung-sook’s novel Please Look After Mom. The aim of this chapter is to create an understanding of what it takes to be considered a “good mother,” and the limitations of the sociocultural vision of the perfect mother. In Chapter 2, I explore various depictions of “bad moms,” traveling from the literature of the early twentieth century to the present day. Throughout, I maintain a sharp focus on how we can use this literature to not only bear witness to women’s struggles, but to generate new female-centric approaches to mothering and domestic labor.
Recommended Citation
Sanchez, Thalia, "“THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE:” EXPLORING CONTEMPORARY DEPICTIONS OF MOTHERHOOD IN LITERATURE" (2022). Theses & ETDs. 6297.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6297