Oh, Freud, where are you when we need you? Poor Lily is really struggling when her tale begins, primarily because she misses her late mother terribly (and her father . . . well, she just hopes for the days when he ignores her). Also, she feels all kinds of awkward and uncomfortable in her skin as she adjusts to all the changes that your teen years entail. Luckily, by the time the novel finishes, Lily has managed to collect an impressive team of surrogate mothers who teach her how to feel empowered and comfortable in her own skin. Hmm, wonder what Freud would say about having eight mothers? We're pretty sure he would approve.
Questions About Maternity/Femininity
- What do you make of the fact that the novel frequently treats femininity and maternity as interchangeable? Do you find that weakens the "girl power" message that the novel seems to be offering? Why or why not?
- Our Lady of Chains is at once a very powerful and, yet, maternal and loving figure. What makes her so powerful, exactly?
- For all the novel's emphasis on mothers, the vast majority of the strong female characters are childless, including August, who is arguably the most maternal figure in the book. What do you make of that?
Chew on This
The novel's "girl power" message relies heavily on references to maternity to highlight the importance of love and relationships in building "real" strength.
The fact that most maternal figures in the novel are childless allows the novel to present a broader version of "maternity" that goes beyond pure biology or even legal relationships.