The mother-women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the selfless nature of mothers who prioritize their families above all else.
In this quote, Kate Chopin describes the essence of motherhood during a summer at Grand Isle, portraying mothers as protective figures who put their children's needs above their own. The imagery of 'fluttering about with extended, protecting wings' suggests that these women not only cherish their roles as mothers and wives but also find a sense of fulfillment in their self-sacrifice, embodying a nurturing spirit akin to that of 'ministering angels.' This depiction invites readers to reflect on the societal expectations placed on women in familial roles and their personal identities.
In practice
In a speech about family values, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of selflessness in parenting.
She looked into the distance, and the old terror flamed up for an instant, then sank again. Edna heard her father's voice and her sister Margaret's. She heard the barking of an old dog that was chained to the sycamore tree. The spurs of the cavalry officer clanged as he walked across the porch. There was the hum of bees, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air. (last lines)
There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why,--when it did not seem worthwhile to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation.
She's got some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women.
Well, for instance, when I left her today, she put her arms around me and felt my shoulder blades, to see if my wings were strong, she said.
I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself.
There would be no one there to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistance with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.
Gordie, the white boy genius, gave me this book by a Russian dude named Tolstoy, who wrote, 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' Well, I hate to argue with a Russian genius, but Tolstoy didn't know Indians, and he didn't know that all Indian families are unhappy for the same exact reasons: the frikkin' booze.
Work for black women has been an important and valued dimension of Afrocentric definitions of black motherhood.
The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.
Good parents give their children Roots and Wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them.
My mother and father were never frightened of anything. They always felt that they should go through life happily and without fear, and they did that. And it was a great boon to my brother and myself.
Counsel with your parents is a privilege at any age.
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