Expectations of Motherhood

The expectations presented in the novel depict a microcosm of the macrocosm that is middle-class, suburban motherhood. Blythe holds herself to the expectation that she will be a “perfect mother” (101). She believes that she can reach perfection, which has been exemplified by Fox’s mother, Helen. Helen is a microcosmic example of what is expected of the average suburban housewife and mother. She fulfills the domestic caretaking role in their familial unit, providing stability, selflessness, and love throughout her children’s childhoods and beyond. The inclusion of Etta and Cecilia’s journey through motherhood indicates that this expectation of mothers has persisted since the conformity of twentieth-century, middle-class housewives relegated to the role of homemaker as a wife and mother. Helen indicates that she understands Blythe’s struggle, but she never speaks about it bluntly. In the larger society, mothers are expected to be...