MOTHER IS A VICTIM AND BLAME A STUDY OF THE MOTHER’S ROLE IN SAM SHEPARD’S BURIED CHILD AND ALAA AL-ASWANY’S THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING

Abstract

This paper attempts to uncover the deleterious effects of mothers on their families and society as a reaction to their mistreatments. Mothers, who are considered as the backbone of the family, have an immense influence on the direction, attitude, and aspirations of the family for monitoring the core social institution, which is the family. The two literary works of Shepard and Al Aswany are analyzed in terms of Modernism in which women are no longer confined to home. Thus, this paper is conducted in the light of Charles Klotsche’ The Silent Victims: The Aftermath of Failed Children on Their Mothers' Lives (2000). Mothers are not only created to adjust and instill human behavior, cultural criterion, and social conduct and ideology via familial communication in her family members, but also to feel their humanity and be luminaries within their families. Mother, in both societies, fails in her revered mission to be the basic ground from which springs a promising family in the society due to being marginalized by her mate. She becomes a victim in her family by her man and a reaction she turns to be a culprit via ignoring her responsibilities towards her family members and society. The view of society is still negative as the culpability will be on mothers, only when their offspring fail in their lives, regardless of considering the main reasons for deviating mothers from the standard code of motherhood.