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Similes
Part 2, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Cruelest Thing:
In this passage, Larsen combines pathos and situational irony to highlight Clare’s and Irene’s contrasting views on motherhood. Clare tells Irene that nothing could be worse than being a mother, a viewpoint that Irene cannot understand:
Clare’s face took on a startled look, as though she were totally unprepared for this new weapon with which Irene had assailed her. Seconds passed, during which she sat with stricken eyes and compressed lips. 'I think,' she said at last, 'that being a mother is the cruellest thing in the world.' Her clasped hands swayed forward and back again, and her scarlet mouth trembled irrepressibly.
The pathos in this passage provokes deep sympathy for Clare. Larsen’s descriptions of her "stricken eyes," "compressed lips," and trembling "scarlet mouth" make her seem utterly pitiable and emotionally vulnerable. This language makes the reader feel her surprise at Irene’s sudden cruelty and her despair at the way she has become trapped in her life of "passing" and unwanted motherhood.
The situational irony here arises from the opposing perspectives of Clare and Irene on motherhood. While Irene sees motherhood as a source of safety and fulfillment, Clare views it as a prison. Irene does everything she can to shore up her life as a wife and mother, whereas Clare is always looking for ways to avoid it. This "cruelty" has opposite effects on both women: Irene clings to motherhood for stability, whereas Clare longs to be free from it.
Related Themes:
