Sons and Mothers
My mother devoted her life to teaching writers. Becoming one meant escaping the story she had written for me.
As a young girl of 13, after her father's suicide, Frances Benedict asked her mother, "What's the Oedipus complex?" Her mother's response was immediate and straightforward, questioning if Frances felt compelled to take on his violent tendencies. It was unclear whether Frances harbored such thoughts, but she certainly felt the impact of her father's erratic behavior after his stroke in 1972.
This left her mother, sister, and herself grappling with a profound sense of relief upon his disappearance. Frances sought understanding through literature, delving into books in her parents' study, where she discovered Oedipus: Myth and Complex. This text offered a framework for her inner turmoil, which she then shared with her mother, who gifted her with D.H.
Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. This novel, centered on a man's relationship with his mother, was given with the intention of helping Frances comprehend their unique bond.
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