Customer Reviews

The Mother

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pearl S. Buck, The Mother (Pocket, 1934)

It is hard to know what to make of this early novel (her fourth) by Pearl S. Buck, who had won the Pulitzer Prize the year before for The Good Earth (her second) and would, in a few years, be a Nobel laureate. Hard because it is difficult to reconcile such a widely-acclaimed author with a novel such as this.

In her autobiography, Buck mentions that she almost destroyed the manuscript of The Mother, fearing it wasn't as good as her previously published novels. In this, she was correct. The Mother is not so much a novel as it as a combination of character study and morality play. Other reviewers have commented on the Biblical nature of the events herein, which is likely as apt a description as one is likely to find. The story revolves around, of course, a mother. She is never named, nor are any other members of her family (her husband's last name is mentioned once in the book's two hundred pages, but in such a way as to make it as forgettable as possible). One assumes this is an attempt to give the characters an "everyman" quality. The mother and her family have a hard life, and the mother's life gets harder as time goes on. The crux of the story happens about halfway through the novel, when she is forced to make a decision she ends up regretting for the rest of her life; she blames her hardships from there on out on that decision, forgetting that the hardships that came before put her in that position. (In other words, this is not a criticism of the novel so much as of the character; it is entirely possible Buck meant the character to be erroneous in her judgments, but that doesn't make it any less annoying.) In essence, the novel becomes the chronicles of the hardships of one person, a relentless, depressing catalog of failures unleavened by any successes whatsoever.

Other reviewers have also commented on the universality of the character. I pity them, and anyone else who overidentifies with the mother here. Anyone who has truly suffered this much hardship without the slightest glimmer of joy has been dealt the worst of lots in life, and need all the escapism they can get. It is probable, however, that the majority of readers do, at least, have a few moments of happiness, or at least contentment, now and again. They are rather more likely to question the tunnelvision of the character, and perhaps that of the author as well. Rightly so. * 

For any woman who's feeling a bit put-upon, a bit hard done by, "The Woman" would soon shake her back into perspective.I know that this has ever been the lot of women in poor farming communities in third world countries, but it's frightening to realise just how little things have changed since these long past times of the beginning of the beginning of communism in China.We never learn the mothers name as she is simply that--the mother of the children of a poor farmer, a co-worker in the fields and the carer of his elderly mother. It's a hand to mouth existence with only the hope of enough food to sustain them on a daily basis and enough money from the crops that they can spare to be sold, to pay the rent of their fields. When her husband runs off in search of a more exciting life, the mother is left with the care of the family and is forced to work like a beast of burden in order to exist. Only her indomitable spirit sustains them ,even though her life is shattered by a series of events that would break a lesser woman.

In Pearl Buck's autobiography, "My Several Worlds," she reveals that she almost destroyed the manuscript of "The Mother", feeling that it was not worthy of publication. Had this happened, literature would have suffered a great loss. The characters that Ms. Buck created here - the tragically blind daughter, the grandmother who wears her own shroud in anticipation of death, and especially the mother - are exquisitely drawn and memorable. The suffering of the mother, whose life after the strange disappearance of her husband seems an endless series of heartbreaks, is almost unbearable for the reader. But ultimately the mother is comforted, as is every mother, by the birth of children and grandchildren. This is the story of a seemingly insignificant woman, worlds away from me, whose dreams and longings and difficulties are not so very different from my own. This book is definitely and very enthusiastically recommended.

Pearl Buck's books of the 1930s and 1940s were among the first to introduce Americans to the Chinese way of life. In "The Mother," Ms. Buck takes an in-depth look into the life of a peasant woman who lives in a poor hamlet at the dawn of the communist era - when ancient and modern Chinese ideals collided. Her life is fraught with hardship, and her views are tainted by centuries-old patriarchal tradition. Her few joys are simple - a love of food and the longing for male grandchildren sustain her through days of drudgery. Her life is touched by the consequences of both "old" and "new" Chinese culture in ways I will not reveal here, as I don't want to ruin the story.

While the book's prose has, on occasion, been criticized for its archaic style, Buck merely presents her story in language that mirrors the peasant colloquial of the day. This use of language and Buck's wonderful descriptive abilities transport the reader to the nameless mother's home, and open a window into the thought processes that governed her daily travails and simple pleasures. Buck's gift for storytelling is once again in evidence in "The Mother," and her elegant writing style evokes vivid imagery. All of the book's characters remain nameless throughout the novel - an effective convention used by the author to emphasize the fact that this story could be applied to any of millions of "faceless" Chinese peasant families. It also references the way peasant women may have felt about themselves - faceless servants at the will of their husbands, families, and circumstance. There is a subtle political message within the story as well - it isn't difficult to discern how Ms. Buck felt about Communists and the role of the peasant class in Chinese society.

"The Mother" is an excellent story - this quick read will leave a lasting impression on you.

Pearl Buck's books of the 1930s and 1940s were among the first to introduce Americans to the Chinese way of life. In "The Mother," Ms. Buck takes an in-depth look into the life of a peasant woman who lives in a poor hamlet at the dawn of the communist era - when ancient and modern Chinese ideals collided. Her life is fraught with hardship, and her views are tainted by centuries-old patriarchal tradition. Her few joys are simple - a love of food and the longing for male grandchildren sustain her through days of drudgery. Her life is touched by the consequences of both "old" and "new" Chinese culture in ways I will not reveal here, as I don't want to ruin the story.

While the book's prose has, on occasion, been criticized for its archaic style, Buck merely presents her story in language that mirrors the peasant colloquial of the day. This use of language and Buck's wonderful descriptive abilities transport the reader to the nameless mother's home, and open a window into the thought processes that governed her daily travails and simple pleasures. Buck's gift for storytelling is once again in evidence in "The Mother," and her elegant writing style evokes vivid imagery. All of the book's characters remain nameless throughout the novel - an effective convention used by the author to emphasize the fact that this story could be applied to any of millions of "faceless" Chinese peasant families. It also references the way peasant women may have felt about themselves - faceless servants at the will of their husbands, families, and circumstance. There is a subtle political message within the story as well - it isn't difficult to discern how Ms. Buck felt about Communists and the role of the peasant class in Chinese society.

"The Mother" is an excellent story - this quick read will leave a lasting impression on you.

If you like The Good Earth, you will love this book - written in a similar style, which some have called mechanical, but is, in actuality, an archaic form of language - I always feel like I'm reading a story from the Bible or some other ancient text. This is the way the Chinese language of the people would be translated into English - the language of the book moves along gracefully and strikes a chord deep within you. This is not just the story of one woman, but of many. Buck's characters have the feel of archetypal beings - not at all "cardboard", as some have claimed, but types that everyone can recognize, whatever the culture they live in.

Yes, the Mother has her faults - and you may not always sympathize with her decisions, such as when she decides to end a pregnancy- however, the way in which the writer delves into the mind and heart of her character, you can at least see WHY she makes her decisions, and this makes one less judgmental, more compassionate. It made me think of all the women in the world who have had to make the decisions the Mother had to make, about her life, her marriage, her children, her pregnancies, her family honor. You really do feel for this character: When, in the end, she rejoices, you rejoice with her. I definitely recommend this book!

Let me explain this book to you. It has very little historical references. To those who are familiar with Mrs. Buck's usually history-packed books, perhaps this will be somewhat of a surprise. However, this book still has some non-fiction qualities. The most important and dominating example of this is the cultural picture that is painted of a chinese family. A common situation in America is illustrated as it would happen in China. From this, we truly learn about Chinese culture and how greatly it contrasts to American culture. This book is also a tragedy too. Very sad, yet quite enjoyable!

The Mother is one of Pearl Buck's better books. Unlike her sweeping historical fictions, where she is often superficial, this story focuses on the family travails of one woman in a small country village of an unspecified time in China. She is not given a name, is only referred to as the Mother all throughout. Because of this focus, the character achieves some depth and the reader begins to empathize with her. She is not a cardboard good/courageous person. She has a good heart but sometimes doesnt think; has a habit of assuming that she is right all the time, plays favorites with her children though she loves them all, etc. She is an independent but not by choice: her husband leaves her early on in the book, and much of the book is about how the mother responds to this abandonment. some politics enters as one of her sons joins radical students but again sweeping depictions are avoided. The book focuses on the Mother and her reactions to the son. This is the appeal of the book; that the novel follows the life of this one woman from youth to age. Buck actually achieves some of the universality she obviously was shooting for in the character. Aside from the mother the other characetrs are pretty much cardboard.