The Relationship Between Mother and Daughter in James Cain’s Mildred Pi

The Relationship Between Mother and Daughter in James Cain’s Mildred Pierce I have always been of the belief that in order to truly love, hate must exist within the core of the relationship. Nowhere in modern fiction is this dictum examined more accurately than in the novel by James Cain, Mildred Pierce. Looking at the concept in a familial context, James Cain has created two well-developed characters, Mildred Pierce and her daughter, Veda, that not only emphasizes the nature of mother-daughter relationships, but looks at how love and hate permeates the very essence of the relationship. The Irish poet Thomas Moore once described the fascination of these violently fluctuating emotions, â€Å"When I loved you, I can’t but allow/ I had many an exquisite minute/ But the scorn that I feel for you now/ Hath even more luxury in it† (Tresidder 57). While reading Mildred Pierce, I was reminded of my own mother’s relationship with her daughters. One of my sisters, Leslie, in particular, hated my mother in youth. It was strong emotion to extinguish, especially in those formative teen years, but because life is dominated with experiences, things in which we learn from, later one comes to understand the nature of their hate and love and begins to properly delineate the truth of each. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see this in Mildred Pierce and Veda’s relationship. The reason for this is twofold; one, it is the element of obsessive love that fosters a breakdown in the natural boundaries that exist in a parental relationship. Secondly, it is the need by Mildred to seek the unrealistic approval from her daughter, Veda, which further exasperates the boundaries, almost wiping them completely away. We see these elements of obsessive love, ... ...essive love for Veda; her need to gain acceptance and approval from this undeserving daughter that leads her catastrophic collapse. For Veda, it is her spiteful and vindictive nature to exact pain from those she holds in contempt. One needs the other in order to bear witness to the conclusion of their story. Love and hate rules in Glendale. Work Cited Cain, James. Mildred Pierce. New York: Vintage Books. 1989 Firman, Dorthy. â€Å"Healing the Mother/Daughter Relationship.† Mother/Daughter Relations 8 Dec 02 http://www.motherdaughterrelations.com/article.html www.motherdaughterrelations.com/article.html Phillips, Shelley. Beyond the Myths. New York: Penguin Books. 1996 Tresidder, Megan. The Secret Language of Love. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 1997 Vial, Veronique. Women Before 10 a. m. Photograph. New York: Powerhouse Books. 1998