https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbWHojOFBrA
Welcome to my first vlog! I’ll continue including a written portion for those of you who prefer to read instead of watch, but I’m quite enjoying working with the new format. The videos won’t be quite the same as the blog as I don’t have a script while I’m doing them.
First off, Happy Mother’s Day! Also, Happy Birthday to my mom who celebrates the day after 🙂 Double holidays for her!
Moms are not often the focus or the heroes of literature, but they’re still so important. Their presence, or lack of presence, is often a formative piece of the hero’s life. In honor of Mother’s Day, and my own mom’s birthday, I’m going to share my favourite mom’s and mother figures from literature I’ve read.
Molly Weasley – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Molly is an amazing mother who rides herd on her enormous family, but always has enough love to go to those who need it. She is the mother figure for Harry and embraces him as her own son, offering him love, comfort and a family of his own. Molly is inclusive, warm, fiercely loyal and powerful, a wonderful mother and important figure in Rowling’s works. She’s certainly not perfect, sometimes victim to prejudices and she struggles to have a full relationship with each of her children, but she remains a symbol of family and love in the series. Â
Marilla Cuthbert – Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Marilla is the adoptive mother of Anne. At first things were rather rocky, but Anne grew on Marilla and they developed a very committed relationship. Marilla has no initial desire to be a mother, but grows to love Anne very deeply in time. She has a lot of patience, which helps considerably when you think about how much trouble Anne gets into. Marilla wants what’s best for Anne and does whatever she can to guide her daughter towards a path of intelligence, discipline and success.
Aunt Agnes – Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robson
When Helena leaves her life in England she goes to France to stay with her Aunt Agnes. Agnes is a liberal and vibrant woman who encourages Helena to find what she loves to do and pursue it with great passion. She supports Helena financially, emotionally and socially, introducing her many new people and allowing her and her friends to have their own art studio. She’s almost a representation of freedom and enjoyment, allowing Helena to follow her example and find her own happiness.
Zoe McCourt – Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts
Zoe was a mother at sixteen and devoted herself to making a good life for her son. Zoe features throughout the Key Trilogy, but she is the focus character in Key of Valor. Zoe’s devotion and determination are her defining characteristics, a mother who gives all of herself to her child. She’s a charming character, wary because of her past, but open to love and far stronger than the evil in this trilogy gives her credit for.
Looking through my collection of books I realized that the figure of the nurturing mother is not all that common. I think that might be because familial conflict or lack of a mother figure is so central to main characters. The archetype of the hero usually creates them as missing one or both parents. I found many more examples of negative mother figures or absent mother figures than I did of positive, loving mothers.  I’ve even used this in my own writing, creating conflict as close to the heroine as possible by using the mother as one of the sources. I’m glad that there are a few literary sources that keep a positive relationship between mother/mother-figure and child.
Happy Mothers Day to all the moms and mother-figures out there.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Erin