Addiction and Disease: How do they differ?
Both the “A Domestic Dilemma”, by Carson McCullers and the “The Rocking Horse Winner”, by D.H. Lawrence have mothers who cope with their problems’ in very different ways. Emily, who is the mother in “A Domestic Dilemma”, is an alcoholic whereas Hester, who is the mother in the “The Rocking Horse Winner”, deals with her problems by overspending. The two women’s problems negatively affect their kids. Emily cannot care for her children because her disease is taking control of her life. On the other hand, Hester neglects her children and compensates for the empty feeling she has inside by buying lavish, expensive, materialistic objects that are out of her means. The mothers’ personalities play a large …show more content…
Emily, who is believed to be having a hard time dealing with the move from Alabama to New York, uses alcohol to deal with the feeling of being lonely and empty inside. For example, the narrator says “The change from Alabama to New York had somehow disturbed her; her interior life was insufficient without the artifice of alcohol.” (McCullers, 2) This explains how she turned to alcohol to fill the emptiness she was feeling. However, there are many other options she could have turned too rather than alcohol, which happened to negatively affect her and her family. Differing from Emily’s situation, Hester copes with her problems by overspending. Hester had a few children, but she did not love them. This could have led to her filling that void in her life by buying materialistic objects. Early on the narrator says “She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them.” (Lawrence, 1) Maybe the problem was not her kids, but more so the fact she was not ready for kids when she had them. As a result, of her being spiteful towards her kids, Hester turns her attention to another aspect of her life. Ultimately, the mothers contrast when it comes to their coping methods, but they are comparable in the way they are both trying to fill a void/emptiness they have …show more content…
People turn to things that cause them to have addictions and diseases as a method of coping. If not dealt with, it can negatively affect you and everyone around you. In the case of these two stories “A Domestic Dilemma,” and “The Rocking Horse Winner,” they demonstrate the negative effects of diseases and addictions. Emily and Hester have different ways of coping with their problems, but their inability to care for their children is an aspect they are comparable on. Consequently, the mothers let their problems get the best of them, and as a result, things did not turn out in their favor. Some people are able to battle their addictions and diseases, yet unfortunately, in this case, their problems seemed to be too