Top Mothers in Literature

In celebration of the holiday, I am shaking things up and writing a post in a slightly different format than usual. Below is my list of great mothers in literature. These mothers fulfill their parental duties with love, wisdom, and unflinching support to the heroes and heroines of their literary works.

Marmee from Little Women

As one of my favorite literary mothers, Marmee's kindness, patience and extraordinary sense of charity makes her a great model for all of us mothers. She knows how to deal with life's trials and still raise her girls to be modest, smart, consientious, and kind women. Marmee faces extreme difficulties: raising her daughters alone while her husband is at war, taking care of the feeble Beth and later seeing her die at a very young age, and dealing with the family's poverty and lower social standing. Yet through all these hurdles, Marmee remains an ideal mother and a rock for all her daughters. While she is a not considered a heroine in Little Women, who knows where Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy would have been without her in the plots of their lives?

Mrs. Weasley from the Harry Potter series

Yes, I know the Harry Potter series is not part of the canon (yet, may I say?), but I feel it would be nothing short of an injustice to not include her on this list. Mrs. Weasley has many of Marmee's characteristics for being a good mother: kindness, patience, a sense of charity, and strength. However, Molly Weasley also has a temper and often deals with stress due to having seven children, six of which are boys. And her boys have not been easy to raise. The mischievous Fred and George wreck havoc wherever they go, Ron always finds himself in mortal peril with Harry Potter, and Percy turns against and completely snubs his family. Plus, Charlie studies and cares for dragons for a living, which can't make for any peace of mind. However, Mrs. Weasley still runs her household smoothly (even without magic, I think she could do it seamlessly), acts as a fearless protector to all of her children, has a strong sense of pride for each and every one of her children, and even considers the orphan Harry Potter as one of her own. Mrs. Weasley knows when to be firm, when to be kind and understanding, and when to let her children go and experience life for themselves. All in all, she's an ideal mom, especially since she can cook a meal with a few waves of her wand.

Mrs. Thornton from North and South

The mother of the sensible John Thornton does not embody the warm and welcoming personality of the ideal, angel-like mothers, but she has the most of one trait out of any mother included on this list: strength. Having lived a hard life in the industrial city of Milton, she has been through many types of hardship, poverty being the most difficult to overcome. After her husband squanders away all of their money through gambling and drinking, he dies, leaving her with John and his sister. As was customary during this time period, John quits school to earn the family's living. I cannot imagine the difficulty of sending your 14 year-old son to work to support the family. But John did it, and he turns out quite all right. Due to his impeccable work ethic instilled in him by his mother, John eventually goes from being a common worker to a mill owner. She believes in John more than anyone and despite her hard ways, she comforts and supports him through his own trials. Mrs. Thornton's sole thoughts lie with John and his well being, and you know throughout the novel that she'll do whatever it takes to keep him from harm or failure. However, like every understanding mother, she also knows when to let her son make his own decisions (even if she doesn't agree) and how to still proudly stand by him.

Betsey Trotwood from David Copperfield

Even though Betsey Trotwood is David Copperfield's great aunt and not his mother, she deserves to be named as a great mother in literature. Having disowned David simply because she found out he was a boy, she was not what one would call an ideal caretaker at the start of the novel. However, when David comes stumbling to her house after he has run away from the factory, she takes him in and protects him from his cruel stepfather, Mr. Murdstone. After taking David into her home, Betsey makes an exception to her prejudices against boys and acts as a loving, strong, and wise guardian to David. Betsey gives David a life of ease and comfort as a boy and sends him to a good school and even helps him get a job. David's gentle and kind ways soften Betsey, and the reader sees that despite first impressions and the fact that she had no biological children of her own, Betsey is a natural protector and provider.