Motherhood as Depicted in Lisa Carey’s “The
Stolen Child”
The novel “The Stolen Child” was
authored by Lisa Carey and was initially published in 2017. The novel is set in
Saint Brigid, a fictional character on Ireland’s west coast. The area is an
isolated land whereby individuals depend on the sea for survival. However,
eking out that form of living is challenging, leading to the formation of a
tight-knit society that sincerely maintains its secret. Several themes emerge
in the novel, but the most dominant one is that of motherhood. On most
occasions, the sea and the foreign shores lead to the death of most men on the
island. The island is full of women that lack vision and whose central role is
to bear children. The novel mainly focuses on Rose and Emer, two very different
mothers. The two sisters raise their children differently, but they all ensure
that their children’s safety is guaranteed. Rose is easygoing, while Emer
possessively watches over her son, Niall. Niall’s eyes have an orange ring at the
center, and he may or may not be a part of the fairy tale. On the island,
fairies are respected beings and are termed as threatening supernatural Celtic
twilight’s erratic and dangerous creatures. Since an unidentified woman had
appeared on Emer’s bed when birthing Niall, she is afraid that the fairies
might take him once he attains the age of seven. Emer is thus quite possessive
and is willing to do anything to maintain her son’s safety. To depict the
motherhood theme in the novel, the author applied various forms of language
such as personification, irony, hyperboles, and internal monologue. All these
serve as significant forces in emphasizing the theme of motherhood. In this
paper, I will argue that motherhood is depicted through the character’s
willingness to sacrifice and forgo happiness and cultural principles to conceive
or protect their children.
Motherhood is depicted as that of
constant worry about a child’s welfare. The novel “The Stolen Child” applies
Irish folk beliefs in the otherworld and the fairies. The supernatural beings
were entirely invisible to humans but were believed to be living amidst them. Based
on the beliefs evident in the novel, the fairies were always kind when treated
with respect but would be ruthless to those that disregarded them. Thus, such
created fear in motherhood as most women abhorred the idea of losing their
children to the fairies. Emer’s motherhood is illustrated as that which is
surrounded with increased inextinguishable fear of losing Niall, her only son,
to the fairies. Niall was Emer’s only proper antidote and what gave her
satisfaction and happiness. She was willing to engage in anything that would
save her child’s life. It is indicated that “Only with her child are her hands
able to soothe rather than repel. The fairies she once invited terrify her now”
(Carey 46). The irony is quite evident in the story. It is quite ironic that
the fairies whom Emer once cherished and respected scared her once she
delivered her son. She realized that things are not how one imagines. Contrary
to how she imagined the fairies, Emer realized that they could take away her
son at any moment. The fairies were known to punish individuals that
disrespected them. And the fear that they would come for her son made Emer fear
for his life. After becoming a mother. Emer has entirely transformed from “a
girl begging to be stolen by something dark and exciting to a mother who must
guard her child. All she has wanted for years is to leave the island and the good
people far behind” (Carey 46). Through this statement, it is evident that
motherhood transform individuals in a wide range of ways. Motherhood changes
one into an all-loving being mainly focused on providing the best for their
child. Before she bore Niall, all Emer needed was to be taken away by the
fairies. However, this changed after she delivered Niall, as there now was
something to live for. Niall gave her more reason to live on the island and
overcome the challenges that she experienced. The joy that Niall brought into
her life gave her hope and motivation to live more. The article “Of Bees,
Fairies, and Women: Lisa Carey’s Feminist and Parodical Rewriting of Tradition
in The Stolen Child (2017)” by Audrey Robitaillie was published in 2019, and it
evaluates Lisa Carey’s “The Stolen Child.” The article is a parody of Irish
folklore traditions as depicted by Lisa Carey. However, it uses Saint Brigid’s
characteristics of religious traditions, bee folklore, and fairy beliefs in
contrast to the expectations of contemporary society. Thus, through this, the
article uses Irish fairy beliefs to question motherhood representation through
Emer as a feminist model. In the article, Emer is described as a young woman
that is “marked by what she sees as encounters with the fairies, an
otherworldly woman likened to Saint Brigid, whom she met when she was a
five-year-old child, a fairy hand appearing as she is working in the bog two years
later, and a swarm of bees, whom she views as agents of the Otherworld and led
to the loss of one of her eyes, as well as a fairy midwife who visits her after
Niall’s birth” (Robitaillie 31). Therefore, since Niall was delivered with the
help of a fairy midwife, Emer lives with the fear that it will come for him
once he turns seven years old, as was the norm on the island. The maternal
instinct in Emer is in fear and pain at the thought of losing her only child.
Mothers fear losing a child; thus, most live in dread of their children’s
welfare, as evidenced by Emer. No mother will easily tolerate thoughts of
losing their child; thus, they usually are willing to do whatever it takes to
ensure their child remains safe from harm’s way. Therefore, this forces her to
live in fear that the fairies will soon abduct her child. She perceived any
illness that Niall experienced as the fairies’ dark omen on him. People in
Emer’s community perceive that fairies are likely to abduct humans, especially
children and young boys, and take them to the otherworld. Such beliefs contribute
to why Emer does not let Niall out of her sight. She ensures he is within reach
at all times since she’s the only person that knows what exactly is going on.
Her fear of losing Niall is quite dominant in the novel. Therefore, the novel
identifies this from an early period, and Emer’s fear provides an anxious
leitmotiv that unites the story.
Constant sacrifices for one’s
child characterizes motherhood. In the novel, Emer denies herself various needs
and desires to ensure her child Niall is safe. This illustrates that contrary
to everything else, Niall is her priority. In the novel, Emer is depicted as a
feminine picture described as that of the traditional Gaelic women, whose life
revolved around their children and the males’ presence. Thus, in a bid to
perform her motherhood roles, Emer depicts the Marian figure. This she
emphasizes by refusing to have sexual associations with Patch, her alcoholic
husband, hence acting as Niall’s virgin mother. Emer’s motherhood perception is
contrary to that of Rose, her sister. Rose’s fertility is “attested by her
continuous sets of twins, and who lets her children run free, mostly because
she cannot keep an eye on all of them while nursing babies” (Robitaillie 32). However,
Emer challenges this perception of bearing many children and instead opts to
have Niall, her only son. Emer, therefore, sacrifices various roles of women in
society for her child’s safety. As much as Emer is adhering to the religious,
sexist depiction of women in her society, she challenges the conventional
motherhood representation as personified by Rose. Her motherhood status does
not let Emer be pulled down by societal principles. She instead decides her
fate by choosing not to have sexual relation with her husband. The novel states
that “She hasn’t kissed him, or anyone, unless you count the small willing
mouth of her son, in five years” (Carey 41). This illustrates that Emer had
opted not to engage in any form of seductive or sexual relationship with Patch.
Ironically, Emer avoided all sorts of sexual associations with her husband. As
Patch’s wife, Emer is expected to have sexual relations with her husband, but
this is not the case. Therefore, it is ironic that she avoids such to prevent
getting pregnant with a second child, while this was the main aim of marriage
in that society. Thus, though snubbing Patch, Emer can emphasize her status as
an independent woman while similarly complying with the religious viewpoint of
women as portrayed by the Marian perception. The Gaelic female figure is well
depicted in Carey’s parody that Emer characterizes. Additionally, Emer goes
ahead and discards the Gaelic women’s traditional expectations and gets engaged
with Brigid. This she does in a bid to evacuate the island and ensure Niall is
safe from the fairies. Therefore, Emer, in this case, is ready to forsake
society’s tradition to ensure Niall is safe. If an opportunity arose for her to
leave the island, Emer would leave with Niall to ensure he is safe. Thus, she
sacrifices her happiness for the sake of her child, Niall. Additionally, a
mother’s sacrifice is witnessed during the loss of Emer’s brother. The sea took
their brother, Dónal, and father, and his body was never found. The article “The
Grief of Parents after the Death of a Young Child” by Morris et al. was
published in 2018. The article mainly highlights the challenges that a parent,
most especially mothers, are likely to experience at the loss of their child.
The relationship between a parent and a child is strong, and the same is witnessed
during grief, too (Morris et al. 321). Dónal’s death was a significant loss and
blow to Emer’s and Rose’s mother. She was ready to kill herself and her two
daughters due to the grief that she was experiencing. According to the article,
“This bereavement experience is generally regarded to be severe and long,
characterized by yearning, extreme sadness, and a sense of isolation from
others” (Morris et al. 321). One is likely to isolate themselves from others
during the mourning process. Emer’s mother spends time in isolation in her
darkened bedroom. She stayed locked up for a month in “her darkened bedroom,
where she ripened daily in the bedclothes, the vinegar smell of her an
onslaught when her daughters opened the door to bring her tea” (Carey 37). The
statement is a hyperbole aimed at illustrating her mourning period before she
finally opted to kill herself and her two daughters. In this case, the
hyperbole is used to demonstrate how hurt Emer’s mother was after losing Dónal.
The hyperbole shows the deep attachment and relation that she had with her son.
Emer’s mother did this, intending to end her family’s pain during the grieving
period. The loss of a child is likely to have an adverse impact on parents,
most especially mothers. Most importantly, if the attachment was too intense,
then the grift intensity will be too high. Insecure attachment styles highly
lead to increase depression and grief following a child’s death (Morris et al. 331).
Those who find it challenging to cope with such loss mostly end up engaging in
suicide or other activities that may lead to harming others. Thus, a mother is
likely to kill themselves for the sake of their children. It illustrates how
much motherhood requires not only love but sacrifices too.
In the novel, infertile women
are associated with increased stress levels and engagement in various quests to
solve the issue and promote motherhood. Brigid experiences depression and
anxiety while seeking solutions to her infertility. Infertility forces her to
visit St Brigid Island and get the magic holy well that will help her conceive.
Brigid’s mother had left the Island more than 40 years ago and had informed
Brigid that there was holy magic well that could solve infertility problems. She
undergoes desperation in a bid to have a child. The text states that “She is
almost forty years old, but she is no longer racing against time. It is not her
body she must rely on; her only hope is a miracle or a curse” (Carey 32). The
text illustrates that Brigid was no longer racing against time, which insinuates
that she had long tried to find a solution to her infertility. Time was,
therefore, not on her side since she was almost reaching menopause. Consequently,
she can not rely on her body, and neither can she depend on time. She was
therefore hoping that either a miracle or a curse could solve her condition.
She believes the magic holy well on the island was going to be her miracle. All
these thoughts and desperation are triggered by anxiety and depression because
she may never carry a child of her own. The article “Infertility-Related Stress
and Depressive Symptoms – The Role of Experiential Avoidance: A Cross-Sectional
Study” by Galhardo et al. was published in 2020. It highlights the adverse side
effects associated with infertility. The article assesses the various effects
experienced by individuals, and most especially infertile women. According to
the authors, “The inability to conceive a child is described as a stressful
moment in the couples’ lives, as an uncontrollable situation, threatening the
achievement of important life goals and consuming significant resources,
particularly for couples seeking medical treatment” (Galhardo et al. 140).
Individuals who are on a quest to receive treatment on infertility tend to
experience increased stress levels due to the worries associated with the process.
Others are highly stressed from the fact that the various alternatives might
not be fruitful. The same is witnessed with Brigid’s case. She has lost all
hopes of time due to her age; thus, she is hopeful that either a miracle or a
curse might help solve infertility. She believes that her miracle or curse is
the magic holy well in St. Bridgid Island. The infertility issue has forced
Bridgid to leave the city and sacrifice the best life she had, to come to the
island with hopes to conceive. Emer wonders how long Bridgid will survive on
the island, considering that it lacks improved services compared to the city.
In her internal monologue, Emer states that “Let’s see how long you last, she
thinks, with no phone, no electricity, no doctor or priest, no newspaper unless
the weather permits it, and weeks on end with no contact whatsoever from anyone
but the same people you’ve seen every day of your life” (Carey 23). Thus, the
novel uses internal monologue, a form of language, to illustrate Emer’s
thoughts towards Brigid. Through this internal monologue, an audience can
easily identify the villager’s perception of Brigid. Most thought that she
would not survive that life since they knew she only came for the holy well,
which they hoped she never finds. The statement illustrates that Bridgid had
sacrificed a lot of luxury and good life to come live on the Island. This shows
the desperation and the sacrifice that most women are willing to experience to
have a child. Thus, when one forgoes such and still does not receive what their
heart desires, they are likely to experience increased stress and depression
levels. The article concludes that “the tendency of women with infertility to
avoid thoughts, emotions and situations somehow associated with pregnancy and
parenthood, as a way of trying to escape from the painful infertility
experience, induces higher suffering” (Galhardo et al. 147). In the process of
trying to avoid the thoughts associated with infertility, women experience more
pain and suffering. Brigid is trying to act normal on the island while avoiding
the main reason that brought her there. This, however, exposes her to more
suffering since she is not ready to accept that she might never have children.
Her pain is evident when it is stated that “She will go back to her original,
less attractive plan, to the exhausting bright conversation, to flirting, to
pretending she has come to be a part of this place instead of merely taking
from it” (Carey 32). Thus, if her miracle or curse does not fulfill her
desires, she will act like she came to be a part of the island and act like she
never had other intentions with the island. This illustrates how much
motherhood was treasured in the context of the novel. It was a fulfilling
experience that women valued and treasured. Thus, women would go through all
forms of trouble on the island to ensure they conceive and experienced
motherhood.
Motherhood was treasured as
it was a symbol of blessing by the fairies. In St. Brigid Island, great
emphasis is placed on women having children. This is evident when the novel
illustrates that Brigid would often experience a stab within herself when she
saw a mother and a child gesturing to each other. She would get hurt since she was
missing out on having such an experience. Brigid wished for a child that she
could associate with and have a similar experience as other women. Brigid was desperate,
and “The patient anticipation she came with has surrendered to a frantic
anxiety” (Carey 31). In this case, the author applied personification to
illustrate Brigid’s attempt to conceive. A human character of surrendering has
characterized patient anticipation. Through this personification, one can
easily sympathize with Brigid’s desperation. The statement helps understand why
motherhood was quite a significant aspect in the novel’s context. She was
becoming anxious as she almost lost all her patience in locating the magic holy
well, which would help her have a child. Brigid was in pain and “wails a
visceral, unself-conscious keen, enormous inside the hive of stone, while a
part of her waits to cry herself out, hoping that no one but the dog can hear
her above the cliff wind” (Carey 31). In this case, the statement itself is hyperbole.
It is an exaggeration of Brigid’s feelings to illustrate her desperation. Her
pain is exaggerated and compared to an enormous inside of a cave. The sentence desperately
explains her feelings and emotions of not having a child. Brigid was aware that
all her efforts were becoming unfruitful as no villager was willing to help her
locate the well. Therefore, she was struggling independently since everyone she
asked avoided her or acted unaware of the existence of the holy magic well. Her
struggles and lack of success in her quest thus exposed her to increased levels
of pain.
Motherhood is defined as one’s
ability to forgo and sacrifice their well being and societal principles to
protect their children. As a dominant theme in the novel, motherhood is
expressed through various forms of language such as irony, hyperbole, personification,
and internal monologue. The mothers in the novel all aim at ensuring their children
are safe and have improved wellbeing. Motherhood is depicted through the
constant worry about a child’s wellbeing. For instance, Emer is determined to
ensure Niall is safe as he is her only child. She delivered and nursed Niall
with the help of a fairy. Thus, according to their society’s beliefs, fairy
babies usually get abducted by fairies once they turned seven years old. Therefore,
she worries that once Niall turns seven, the fairies will come for him. Emer
thus ensures that Niall is within her reach at all times. She hopes that
something will happen and help her leave the island with her son. Therefore,
this constant worry about one’s child depicts motherhood. Mothers treasured
their children hence acted overprotective towards them. Motherhood is also expressed
through endless sacrifices for one’s child. Emer refuses to engage in sexual
affairs with her husband. The main aim of avoiding sexual relations with her
husband is to prevent a second pregnancy. Therefore, she stops herself from
experiencing the joy of motherhood by only having one child. She fears losing
Niall, thus avoids getting pregnant to prevent herself from going through a
similar dilemma. Therefore, as much as the fairy tales might be a myth, she
does not want to risk the same. Rose, Emer’s sister, seems happy having many
children. Emer is also likely to experience this happiness if she bores more
children. She, however, sacrifices this to ensure that Niall is safe. Motherhood
is also showed as a significant aspect of society, and this is evident through
Brigid, whose infertility has forced her to come to St. Brigid Island. It
emphasizes the importance of motherhood to women within the novel’s concept. Brigid
believes that the well in the island will enable her to conceive. She,
therefore, abandons her city, Maine, sacrificing the good life, and comes to
the Island to conceive. The island lacks necessary resources such as electricity.
Through leaving for the island, Brigid sacrifices a lot for the sake of
conceiving. This explains the extent to which women were ready to take risks to
experience motherhood. Additionally, Brigid also loved how women associated
with their children. This, she envied and wished to share the same. However,
this was not possible since she was infertile. Therefore, the novel plays an essential
role in illustrating the ways motherhood was cherished in St. Brigid Island and
the role it played in society.
Works
Cited
Carey,
Lisa. The Stolen Child: A Novel.
Harper Collins Publishers, 2017.
Galhardo, Ana, et al. “Infertility-Related
Stress and Depressive Symptoms–The Role of Experiential Avoidance: A
Cross-Sectional Study.” Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology,
vol. 38, no. 2, 2020, pp. 139-150.
Morris, Sue, et al. “The Grief of Parents
after the Death of a Young Child.” Journal of Clinical Psychology in
Medical Settings, vol. 26, no. 3, 2019, pp. 321-338.
Robitaillie,
Audrey. “Of Bees, Fairies, and Women: Lisa Carey’s Feminist and Parodical
Rewriting of Tradition in The Stolen Child (2017).” ABEI Journal,
vol. 20, no. 2, 2019, pp. 29-40.
