The chapters
in 's alternate between narrators John and Lorraine, so nothing is said by
John about Lorraine's mother in chapter 11. Chapter 10, however, is where Lorraine explicitly
mentions what happened in her mother's past. Apparently, while her mother was pregnant with
Lorraine, the doctor told her mother not to let her husband touch her until his
"disease" was gone. Then Lorraine's mother discovered there was a girlfriend on the
side and she soon filed for a legal separation. Her father's infidelity hurt her mother deeply
because they had been childhood sweethearts (107). One could infer that Lorraine's mother may
not have dated anyone else; and since they had known each other for so long, the cut was deep
and left a wound that never really healed--even after her husband died.
Lorraine's experiences with her mother include behavior such as the
following:
"When she goes to work on a night shift,
she constantly reminds me to lock the doors and windows. . . Beware of men is what she's really
saying. They have dirty minds, and they're only after one thing. Rapists are roaming the
earth" (106).
It's as if her mother is
overcompensating for her own mistakes in life. Surely she wants to protect her daughter, but
much of what she says to Lorraine comes across as bitter, negative, and mistrusting rather than
protective. For example, in chapter 12, Lorraine's mother tells her about a client's husband who
seemed to be flirting with her that day and how much men like that disgust her. Then, almost in
the same breath, she projects her views onto her daughter by asking the following:
"Lorraine, don't you think that skirt is a little too short? .
. . Just because all the other girls have sex on their minds, doesn't mean you have to"
(136).
Lorraine has learned to limit her responses so not
to make the situation with her mother worse. Lorraine discusses her mother in other chapters as
well, but chapter 10 is the one with the most descriptive reason for her mother's behavior and
views towards men.
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