This story “The Maternal Instinct”
by V.S. Naipaul is about a prostitute woman named Laura that has eight children.
Her house was full of violence and her children were from 7 different fathers except
for the last 2 children that were from Nathaniel, the only man that stayed with
her and gave her 2 children. Nathaniel stayed with her even if she used to beat
him; he always used to say that he was the one who beat her.
Even if Laura wasn’t a good example
for her children, she wanted that none of them be like her. That’s why she
wanted that all of her children get educated. Laura used to say: “It have
nothing like education in the world. I don’t want my children to grow like me.”
But we can see that her older daughter named Lorna got pregnant even if she was
educated. “The eldest daughter, Lorna, came home from her typing lessons late
one night and said, ‘Ma, I going to make a baby.’ I heard the shriek that Laura
gave. And for the first time I heard Laura crying. It wasn’t ordinary crying.
She seemed to be crying all the cry she had saved up since she was born”.
This is an example of how a parent
should raise a child, because if you want your child to be a good person in the
future you should not settle by telling them to be a good person. You as a
parent have to be an example for them. You should show them how to live and be
good people. Lorna must have showed to her children how to go forward with a
decent job and treated her children better, with love, and only caring for them
and not being behind males. We can see the sad end that the story become for
Laura, she was so ashamed of what her daughter did that she didn’t show up on
the street because she knows it was because of her bad parenting. She was even relieved
when the police told her that her daughter Lorna died drowned, she said: “It
good. It good. It better that way.” Maybe she was relieved because her daughter’s
life may have ended worst like her mother’s life. Also we can infer that Lorna committed
suicide because of her mother’s reaction to the news of having a baby. One
character said: “Is what they always do, swim out and out until they tired and
can’t swim no more.” Maybe the daughter thought that her mother will be proud if
she become like her, like the example her mother gave her. This is a disaster
that occurred because of the mother bad behavior.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7w6rDDD_lCo
Are you implying that Laura cried so much because she felt ashamed of her daughter or because she felt like a failure of not giving her daughter the right example?
ResponderBorrarDelmarie Torres
Summarizing this story have a powerful message about how to teach our children and how they see us. Also how the type of life of the parents contribute a lot to the children in the future. That is what happen in this story, the daughter use to see her mother to the point that she was like her. I'm agree with your opinion, as a parent need to be a example for your child. You think that the role of grandmother would make a change in the Laura's lifestyle?
ResponderBorrarWow, nice summary. I love it. But this words summary the important of be human: "with love"
ResponderBorrarI really wish to see your thinking about the future of her other children.
When I was reading I could not stop thinking about how my kids will see me and if I can really be a good mother , I can not stop thinking about how she might react that way to the death of her daughter. I totally agree with the next idea: "You as a parent have to be an example for them." Because the way you raised your child is the way they will be in the life.
Do you think that if Lorna no had died her mother had helped her in the future?
I totally loved the picture that You used because it practically summarizes the whole story. I agree with your point of view. How do you think the example of Laura affected Lorna? Do you think What happend to Lorna could be inevitable? I will like to hear more of your opinion of what happened to Laura. As I was reading this I was just thinking about the exmaple thta im giving my little niece.
ResponderBorrar