The first half compared to the second half of the story feel like night and day, with the first half being light and the second half having a dark, eerie feeling. The passion for liberty that Sybil fought for and was extremely vocal about in the beginning of the story was lost when she was going insane. She began to be defeated by the confinements because “it is hard to live with no object to give zest to life” (239). She was being forced to go insane and was not allowed to know why, which adds a new dimension different from the stories we have read.
Not only did insanity affect Sybil’s outlook on life, but it also forced the audience to look at an uncomfortable issue head on. Alcott’s story differs from the previous stories we have read, because it does not just focus on the “typical” mother and daughter relationship with a father, who is rarely seen. Rather it focuses on the darker side of life, where Sybil is “surveyed as if [she] were a spectacle” (241). Sybil’s mother was technically there in the house with her, but neither knew that who the other one was. This distant relationship gives the reader a new understanding of a mother daughter relationship because there was a magnetic force that seemed to be drawing them to each other, but they were never given the opportunity to meet. Sybil had an “irresistible fascination” (240) with the upstairs room, which does not seem coincidental. This story gives a new perspective on the relationship by showing that a mother’s most important job might not always be to teach their daughters how to make perfect toast.
I agree with you about your mother/daughter relationship point! It's so sad how now having that mother mentor has made Sybil into who she is today.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that mothers can sometimes have different roles in their daughter's life. Sometimes they don't need a mother who is there all the time, but a mother who will pull through when the daughter really needs them. Alcott shows a very interesting relationship and I think it is a very important dimension of what a mother/daughter relationship can be like.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you talk about this mother daughter relationship not being the typical kind that we are accumstomed to. I found this really interesting as well and liked how you talk about a "magnetic force" drawing them together in a way. The quotes that you used really help you get your point across. I enjoyed how you reflected upon Sybil's fascination with the room upstairs and the mother's feeling about Sybil. This was a great blog!
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