The Push: Mother. Daughter. Angel. Monster?

One of the novel’s earliest and most important quotes is, “We all expect to have, and to marry, and to be, good mothers” (7). It’s worth pondering where these expectations come from. To some extent, motherhood is a biological and evolutionary imperative, as newborns across the animal kingdom cannot survive without a mother’s support. Humans, however, with their complex brains and complex societies, cannot divorce this imperative from the social conditioning they receive from television, movies, commercials, and their own parents. If a mother does not express love for her child in ways that are familiar or expected, many assume that something is wrong with the mother. These assumptions are even more pronounced when a child is accused of antisocial or criminal behavior. The phrase “His mother didn’t love him or her” is pervasive in discussions of serial killers and child murderers, as if a mother is to blame for the sins of her child. The Push examines the extent to which mothers have internalized this messaging during the scene at the support group for parents of individuals convicted of crimes. One mother bemoans looks she gets from the prison guards and her lawyer “like I’m the one who did something wrong.