Unpacking the Complexities of Mother-Daughter Bonds: A Literary Review

This literature review delves into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships as depicted in selected literary works by Tillie Olsen, Amy Tan, and Alice Walker. The analysis focuses on Olsen's portrayal of the unspoken burdens of motherhood and its impact on self-discovery, Tan's exploration of generational and cultural divides between immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters, and Walker's examination of favoritism and heritage within a mother-daughter dynamic. Each author offers unique insights into the multifaceted nature of these relationships, highlighting themes of sacrifice, identity, and the challenges of intergenerational understanding. The review synthesizes these perspectives to provide a comprehensive overview of the intricate and often conflicting dynamics inherent in mother-daughter bonds.

Surname 1
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Complexities in Mother-Daughter Relationships
Olsen, Tillie. I stand here ironing. ProQuest LLC, 2002.
The story depicts the mother-daughter relationship complexities through the undeclared
motherhood burden. The novelist proposes that the selfless mother’s role that society anticipates
a mother to hold is a barrier to any successful discovery. Instead of helping a woman accomplish
self-actualization, motherhood strands a woman in life laden with toil alongside excessive roles
and responsibilities. Olsen represents parenthood laid unadorned, shorn of romantic
embellishment. Instead of presenting a perfect case of a cultivating role model guiding her
charge path to triumph, Olsen shows us a central character zealously mediating on harsher
alongside bitter family life realities.
The narrator (Emily's mother) deflates some overblown ideas about motherhood,
specifically mother-daughter relationship/bond primacy. The mother no more comprehends her
daughter than a counselor or teacher who requests her presence at the meeting. The mother is
never evil, abusive, or deliberately neglectful; however, Olsen presents her as the conflicted
victim of a situation whose personal resources cannot give her daughter the best of her interests.
Her inability to participate fully in her daughter's life resulted in undefined issue, which besets
Emily. The mother can only provide the basic physical needs of her children but unable to form a
more in-depth, emotional bond with her kids.

Surname 2
This source helps answer my study question about the complexities of mother-daughter
relationships. It has detailed the complicated situation the narrator finds herself when providing
for her children. Olsen is a renowned author and with authority and qualification to write on
this topic, making this source credible.
Tan, Amy. "Two kinds." The joy luck club (1989): 132-48.
The story depicts complexities in daughter-mother relationships. The story focuses on
distance between moms born in China prior revolution of communist hence are isolated from the
indigenous decade cultures, alongside their daughters born in America who have to bargain twin
encumbrances of respective Chinese lineage and American anticipations for victory. Whereas
narrator alongside protagonist, Jing-mei continuously frustrates the aspirations of her mom to
become a musical genius, it took just decades in her life to gain insights into her mother
fundamental motives.
There is a generation tension between daughters and mothers, and hence, the pleading
child cannot be perfectly contented provided she cannot override issues with her mother and
herself to a lesser degree. Thus, identity comes in as Jing-mei had to be rebellious against her
mother alongside her ethnic heritage. Amy Tan succeeded in displaying subtleties, confusions,
and conflicts of relationships in America's immigrant societies by applying innovative literary
techniques which blur the distinction between novel and short stories.
This source will significantly contribute towards answering my study question regarding
the complexities in the mother-daughter relationship. Tan is a credible author, and hence, he is a
renowned novelist, thus making the source reliable.
Walker, Alice. Everyday use. Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 2004.

Surname 3
This story depicts a mother trapped in mother-daughter relationship complexity. She has
shown favoritism towards one daughter and discriminates another daughter but realizes her
mistakes towards the end after realizing the daughter who upheld the heritage. It tells the story of
a mom alongside her 2 girls’ contradictory thoughts regarding ancestry besides identities. The
mom re-counts a tale of a time her daughter, Dee, calls from her school thereby clashing with
Maggie, second daughter, over particular heirloom quits quilts' possession. Dee comes back from
with her boyfriend and reveals that her main intention is to take the quilts that Maggie had
previously been given as wedding gifts.
However, Dee indicates she has the right to the quilts since she comprehends quilts’
value as "priceless." Maggie is prepared to surrender her rights to quilts to avoid argument with
Dee. As Maggie tells her sister that she is free to take quilts since she "can remember Grandma
Dee" in quilts’ absentia, their mum instantly knows who deserves the quilts. Their mother hugs
Maggie, who was "used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her." The
mother snatches quilts from the hands of Dee and drops them into Maggie's lap." Subsequently,
Dee leaves deprived of quilts, and her sister beams a "real smile" first-ever instance.
The information from this story is useful in helping me answer my research question. I
will use it to show how Dee has been favored in this story and always feels she has a right over
Maggie. Maggie is depicted as someone who is never used to winning anything or having
anything while Dee gets the best treatment, including going to college. This demonstrates the
wrong parenting style. The source is credible since Alice Walker is a known novelist and has
authority and qualification to write about parenting roles or issues.