Ann Bonifacio
Assignment #3
March 07, 2016

The Imperfection of Female

The author, Lucy Clifford suggests that children are easily corrupted, women are out of control, and mothers have inadequate parenting skills in the story “The New Mother”.

Firstly, Clifford shows that children in “The New Mother” can be corrupted easily. The children Blue-Eyes and Turkey are quickly convinced by the Gypsy girl to be naughty in order for them to see the little people dance in her pear-drum. In this case, Blue-Eyes and Turkey are willing to behave disobediently to gain what they want. In order to satisfy the Gypsy girl that they are naughty enough, they also do things against their mother’s wishes. They follow the things that the Gypsy girl suggests them to do even if their behaviour hurts their mother’s feelings. They tell the Gypsy girl “We have been so very naughty, and mother says she will go away to-day and send home a new mother if we are not good” (Clifford 60A). They choose to disobey their mother through the manipulation of the Gypsy girl, making them believe that “There is no mother with a wooden tail and glass eyes and if there were we should just stick pins into her and send her away” (Clifford 60A). The two girls also break things at their house such as the tins on the wall, and window as advised by the Gypsy Girl. “We have done all the things you told us; now will show us the little man and woman?” (Clifford 60A), the children try to prove her. Her manipulation persuades them to become selfish and unkind. This demonstrates that children in “The New Mother” are corrupted.

Secondly, Lucy Clifford expresses that women in “The New Mother” are out of control. It is shown in the story that women act irrationally. As a matter of fact, women in their adolescence such as the Gypsy girl show their manipulative and disruptive side. She succeeds in influencing Blue-Eyes and Turkey to become naughty by disobeying their mother and disrespecting their personal belongings. She makes them doubt their mother’s advice by saying, “that is what they all say. They all threaten that kind of thing. Of course there are no mothers with glass eyes and wooden tails” (Clifford 60A). She pushes them to try harder to be as worse and naughty as possible without showing any care of the outcomes. She encourages the little girls to do bad deeds without feeling any sympathy for them by telling them, “You were not half naughty enough. As I remarked before, it requires a great deal of skill to be naughty well” (Clifford 60A). In addition, younger women also appear to be uncontrollable. This is shown by Turkey and Blue-Eyes as they show weakness for getting manipulated easily by the Gypsy girl. They become very impulsive with their decisions, and get blinded by greed because of wanting to see the little people. They do not stop until they reach their goal of being naughty and also to get what they want. In fact, their mother tries to tell them that they have to be good for which a new mother will come. However, they fail to obey her and continue to follow what the Gypsy girl says. Finally, elder women also demonstrate an uncontrollable act in the story which is shown by the mother. She abandons her children, alone at their house and allows a new stranger to live with her children. Thus, women in the story are uncontrollable.

Lastly, according to Clifford mothers in “The New Mother” have inadequate parenting skills. The mother of Blue-Eyes and Turkey demonstrates that as she lacks on supervising them and ensuring that they are safe. She has a lot of shortcomings to them. For instance, she lets her children go around the village by themselves. Although she warns them to avoid talking to strangers, she does not assure that they would be safe by supervising them. As a result, her children talk to a stranger who is the Gypsy girl. The mother also threatens her children such as abandoning them and bringing a new mother with a wooden tail to take care of them when they continue to misbehave. Since the two children do not listen to her and stay disobedient, she leaves them alone at their house. She chooses to give up on them instead of trying harder to make them better and lets a new mother who is very unreliable to live with her children. “Goodbye, my children. The new mother will be home presently.” (Clifford 60B), the mother tells her children as she leaves them.

In conclusion, Lucy Clifford says that children can be quickly corrupted, women are uncontrollable, and mothers are incompetent in their parenting skills in “The New Mother”.

Clifford, Lucy. “New Mother” Required Readings for Literature and Horror. Ed. Lisa Dorcich. Winnipeg: U of Manitoba Press, 2016.59-60C. Print.