Mr. Grabham
ENG2D-01
4 June 2015
The Individual Struggle of Motherhood in Secret Daughter
Ever since the start of mankind mothers have provided for their children since the day they were born. Motherhood is an event in women’s lives, which results from the birth of a child and upholds many levels of responsibility. Being a mother can differ between individuals depending on the vast array of life experiences the mother goes through, in order to sufficiently nurture her child. Raising a child can be a very fulfilling task for a mother but it also can cause struggles along the way. In Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s novel, Secret Daughter, the challenges of motherhood is evident through the treatment of Kavita and Somer by their husbands, their …show more content…
We can see how Somer blames some of her troubles with her daughter on the fact she is adopted. Somer feels like she would connect with her daughter much better if she had given birth to her and had a biological bond. She shows her discontent when she witnesses children at her practice and …show more content…
Somer starts to blame her lack of a biological bond with Asha for why she has a hard time taking care of Asha. Somer feels like she cannot relate her daughter, and because of this Somer struggles with Asha in infancy and, eventually Asha drift away from Somer as she grows older. Somer sees Asha grow closer to her father due to them sharing the same background, which only enforces her belief that, she is failing as a mother due to her background. In comparison we can see how Kavita cherishes her biological son from the day he is born. This love is demonstrated by the way “She never tires looking at him inspecting every perfect detail”(64). Kavita has a natural bond with her baby that Somer has trouble forming. Kavita has been emotionally attached with her child all through infancy and childhood. While Kavita’s bond with her child is unconditional, Somer has trouble building that same