Mothers Are People in Literature

On this Mother's Day, as I contemplate all the ways in which I have been formed by my mother's love, I also think of some fascinating mothers from literature. Some ring true-to-life but are not so admirable; some are amazing. For example:

• Gregor Samsa's ineffective and weepy mother in The Metamorphosis
• Quentin Compson's whining, self-centered mother in The Sound and the Fury
• Santha Rama Rau's dignified mother in "By Any Other Name"
• that air-headed, dithering mother in Pride and Prejudice
• mother Anna Karenina's desertion of her children
  
• "esmiss Esmoore's"becoming a Hindu goddess in A Passage to India; and
  
• who could forget mother Nora's door slam in A Doll House?

I'm sure many more interesting portraits belong on this list!