Mamas and Papas

One running theme that I have noticed in the book is an examination of the relationship between mother and child. The most obvious representation of this is Portia's relationship with her mom, which is discussed at great length through her inner dialogue. Portia seems to think of herself as her mother's failed experiment, an attitude that I think reflects the fact that Portia doesn't really have her own identity but lives vicariously through the applicants and, in the beginning of the book, Mark. Portia feels like she is a failure because she didn't turn out like her mom wanted her to turn out. This disappointment seems to be a real thread when it comes to motherhood. Rachel seems to be a normal, functioning mom, but she's the only one. Portia herself has grappled with motherhood, a struggle that appears to have scarred her for life. Her decision not to become a mother, to have an abortion, is an underlying theme of inner dissent for Portia, and perhaps her ultimate failing as her mother's project. Her decision not to be a mom haunts her especially now in her later life. Catherine forces Portia to confront her earlier decision to forgo motherhood. Catherine's situation is middling, as she has become somewhat of a foster child to Helen, while carrying a child that could wind up being Helen's. Catherine doesn't seem to have any reservations about having a baby, but at the same time she doesn't seem to have any intentions to raise one. She is sort of detached from the idea of motherhood, as if she still cannot believe that she will be a mother. Helen seems to really love Portia, but she has trouble showing it. Helen also has an odd relationship with Catherine, and a duplicitous one, as she does not believe that she will wind up taking care of Catherine's baby. Deborah and Simone are yet another mother-daughter pair. They could almost be an echo of Helen and Portia, with Simone as Deborah's project of parenthood, although perhaps a more successful one.

We are only introduced to one father-son pair in the novel so far, Nelson and John. They are a functional pair, and although there is some tension on the subject of video games, it doesn't appear to be a deep tension, just a sort of general annoyance. They are not biologically related, but appear to have a deep personal connection, and their relationship is simpler and more elegant than those of their mother-daughter counterparts. Mark is a father without a daughter, something that greatly troubles him, but his efforts to keep in touch with his daughter seem to show the power of a father's bond. John says that Nelson became his son because the priest simply told him that the baby was his son, and so he was. This kind of clear relationship is again, not present elsewhere. Parenthood takes many forms in this novel, and produces many different types of children.­ It will be interesting to watch these relationships develop further.