Sue Monk Kidd is an American writer that is mostly known for her novels about spiritual search. However, her last book published in 2009, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story, is built around myths of motherhood. This book is based on non-fiction, as Sue Monk Kidd along with her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor, describe their experiences on a trip to Greece and France. During this trip, both women are struggling with their lives and their relationship to each other. As they try to understand each other, they explore the myths and symbols surrounding each country, and talk about how these myths relate to them and the relationship between mother and daughter.
As we have studied in this class, motherhood is a social construct that surrounds women, as all women are expected by society to become mothers. For those that do become mothers, it is difficult sometimes to maintain a healthy relationship with their daughters, as they may become distant (both physically and emotionally). One myth that is constantly explored in this story is the myth of Demeter and Persephone. This Greek myth talks about a goddess loosing a daughter to a male god. This god Hades, wanted Persephone to live with him as his wife in the underworld. Therefore, Zeus told him that he could have her. When Demeter found out that her mother was missing she was really angry and decided to starve the human race. Persephone was returned back to her mother eventually, but she had eaten four pomegranate seeds which is why she had to spent four months in the underworld with Hades. This is where the title Traveling with Pomegranates, comes from. Sue Monk Kidd relates this myth to her life, by saying that she was loosing her daughter to adulthood. She represents the culture of motherhood, as many mothers go through the same situation of loosing daughters to adulthood and marriage. In my opinion she, and her writings are an inspiration since they help women find the peace that religion can only provide, as well as to be a model to other mothers that may be dealing with the same situation.
“It shocks me how I wish for… what is lost and cannot come back”
-Kidd, Traveling with Pomegranates, pg. 157
It is both happy and sad to see a daughter grow. It is happy to see them be successful and become mothers, but it is sad to see them move away to make their own lives. Unfortunately, this is part of life. In Traveling with Pomegranates, Sue Monk Kidd is aware of this fact as she realizes that it has always been this way as ancient Greek mythology tells stories about daughters leaving their mothers to go and make their own lives.
I really enjoy this novel because the mother-daughter relationship is very important. I like how you incorporated the myth that we read in class into your post because it works well together.
ReplyDeleteThe thing i like about Sue Monk Kidd is that what she writes about is built around the motherhood myths, except that she writes it based on her own life and experiences.
What made her write about this theme? Any specific examples?
Hi Karen, Im glad to hear you liked this book. It is really interesting and the fact that is about the relationship between a mother and a daughter as adults.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that let her to write about motherhood was that her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor had just broken up an engagement. Therefore, Sue saw that the time for her daughter to become a wife and mother was nearing, as she acknowledged that she was getting old. The trip to Greece was really to reconnect with her daughter and help her though her depression, but once being overseas and hearing about myths like Demeter and Persephone, they got so interested in them that they just turned their trip and experiences into a book.
What are Sue Monk Kidd’s feminist thoughts? How does she find feminism in her ideologies when the Bible is a predominantly patriarchal and male-centered book? The appearance the website was the most professional of the ones that I have read for this class. The author is very interesting to me, but not as much her literature. She looks like she has a few really good things to discuss.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to talk about one of the ideas this post is based on. You said " As we have studied in this class, motherhood is a social construct that surrounds women, as all women are expected by society to become mothers."
ReplyDeleteWe've talked about this idea a lot, but we've never talked about the societal expectation that men become fathers - specifically the fact that such an expectation may not exist! I can't think of any myths or elements of socialization that mandate that men become fathers, only that if they do they must father sons. How do you think this affects relationships between fathers and sons (or daughters), and how is that different from mother-daughter relationships?
-Eric Stewart
Eric I agree with you that there might not be a social expectation for men to become fathers. I think this is mostly due to the nature of women, since they are the ones that have the ability to bear children (and of course they need the help of a man, but their role is not as important in giving birth). It is the mother that is expected to nurture her children and be more caring.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, a mother-daughter relationship is more intimate and communicative. They become best friends and are there to give emotional support to each other. while in a father-daughter/son relationship, they are more distant and i feel like there is more respect for the father, in the sense that you cant talk about anything with your father. It is more acceptable and comfortable to talk to your mom. I think this special connection is due to mothers carrying her children in the womb for 9 months.