The Sympathetic Character Of Anna In The Time: Night

This literary study will define the sympathetic role of motherhood in the narrative of Anna Andriovna in The Time: Night by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya. The callous and dysfunctional role of mothering is defined in Petrushevskaya’s narrative, yet Anna is able to care for her daughter Alyona’s illegitimate children to maintain family unity. This type of sacrifice is also evident in the overly responsible nature of Anna’s narrative, which is also revealed in her ability to unconditionally lover her drug addicted son by providing him with food and shelter. However, Anna’s depression and empty life defies an unsympathetic narrative because she is the only responsible mother figure in the family that also seeks to care for her mentally ill mother. Anna’s …show more content…
However, Anna is enforcing rules in the home, which Alyona refuses to follow I her daily life. This is not an unsympathetic mother, but a woman that seeks to protect her children to the best of her ability. Anna is not being cruel to her daughter, but she is providing a necessary authoritarian role for her daughter’s immoral conduct. Certainly, this is an example of the sympathy of a mother that is stronger than her daughter and seeks to provide her with an example of that strength to protect her daughter against further …show more content…
In addition to Alyona’s immoral behaviors, Andrei is a drug addict that uses his mother for shelter and food, yet he refuses to correct his behavior and seek help for addiction. This narrative point of view shows a sympathetic mother that is willing to take in her son unconditionally, even though he is disliked by Anna. When Anna takes in her mentally ill mother into her home: “He promised me he’d stop drinking!” (Petrushevskaya 132). This type of behavior is part of the daily insanity of Anna’s hoe, yet she continues to support her son by providing him shelter and money. This is not a cold hearted or dissociative behavior towards her children, but a narrative that reflects the strength of a mother I these dire social and economic times. Anna is a sympathetic woman that gives her children a chance to improve themselves, which typically ends in failure. However, Anna is a sympathetic woman that may appear to be cold in the delivery of her narrative, but her actions define a condemnation of unsympathetic attitudes her role as a mother. Petrushevskaya provides a narrative of the suffering and jaded life of Anna, but she is not an unsympathetic woman when it comes to keeping family