How can it be possible for a mother to simply ignore the existence of her children and keep on living mindfully? A look at The Book of Margery Kempe offers a glimpse into the mind of such a woman. While the book depicts Kempe as an unyielding and devote mystic, there is only brief discussion of her role as a mother. Despite giving birth to fourteen children throughout her life, her story occurs almost entirely outside of her family. Considering the role of medieval motherhood, her case would be rather uncommon. A near death experience with her first child, however, takes precedence in the early stages of the book. Due to this life threatening occurrence associated with the birth of her first child, Margery Kempe’s further actions suggest her use of defenses such as denial and avoidance as a means of escaping her family; additionally, through sublimation Margery relieves herself from the expectations of a traditional mother figure.
While medieval familial life would typically be “a source of joy, comfort, and pride” (Rohrhofer, 93), the birth of Kempe’s first child reveals the …show more content…
In order to face these emotions, Kempe resorts to her mystical marriage. Without her mystical marriage, Kempe would not be able to completely relieve herself of her title and role as a mother; however it cannot entirely explain her desertion of her children. While her focus on her relationship with Christ occupies much of her thoughts and time, she still employs denial and avoidance to rid herself of motherhood. With fourteen children, Kempe surprisingly took part in little to no mothering at all. Straying from the typical role of the women in medieval families, Kempe ultimately depicts her selfhood and personal fulfillment as unattainable under such a role; therefore, her emotional defenses became essential to her livelihood and repression of
While medieval familial life would typically be “a source of joy, comfort, and pride” (Rohrhofer, 93), the birth of Kempe’s first child reveals the …show more content…
In order to face these emotions, Kempe resorts to her mystical marriage. Without her mystical marriage, Kempe would not be able to completely relieve herself of her title and role as a mother; however it cannot entirely explain her desertion of her children. While her focus on her relationship with Christ occupies much of her thoughts and time, she still employs denial and avoidance to rid herself of motherhood. With fourteen children, Kempe surprisingly took part in little to no mothering at all. Straying from the typical role of the women in medieval families, Kempe ultimately depicts her selfhood and personal fulfillment as unattainable under such a role; therefore, her emotional defenses became essential to her livelihood and repression of