Symbolic Matricide Gone Awry: On Absent and—Maybe Even Worse—Present Mothers in Horror Movies

Träger, Eike

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-49037-3_13

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…If dead Ada stands in for the elusive good mother on Mindhunter , Ed Kemper’s mother is the most fully articulated—although also dead—version of the bad mother. While the good mother does not need a bad child to define her, the bad mother is in large part defined by her dyadic relationship to her innocent child (Träger, 2017). What we see in Mindhunter is the construction of this dyad through the recuperation of the serial killer’s innocent child self—the self whose intrinsic value is wholly stripped away by the bad mother (Sommerfeld, 1989).…”

Section: “It’s a Riddle But It Can Be Solved It’s Complex But It’s Hu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The dead and the abhorred: Mindhunter and the persistence of mother-blame

Byers

Collins

2021

Crime, Media, Culture

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In her study of violent protagonists in American literature, Wilson-Scott argues that “mothers are frequently used as the principle traumatizing factor, demonized and depersonalized in order to reassert their violent offspring’s humanity” (p. 191). Further, Wilson-Scott states that her work “reveals the persistent assumption that mothers make monsters” (p. 193). Taking our tacit agreement with Wilson-Scott as a starting point, we argue along with her that mother-blame remains a central motif of mainstream cultural narratives about violent masculinity. The focus of this essay is on the strategies through which mother-blame is used to validate the authorial authenticity of the male serial killer and his ways of knowing and of being in the world. In this essay we offer the first season of the popular Netflix series Mindhunter (2017–) as a case study and ask how the representation of the serial killer’s insight and seemingly accurate understanding of his own pathology is linked to its antithesis, woman-hate, and often, the pathologizing of the mother.

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Section: “It’s a Riddle But It Can Be Solved It’s Complex But It’s Hu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The dead and the abhorred: Mindhunter and the persistence of mother-blame

Byers

Collins

2021

Crime, Media, Culture

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“…Therefore, there are mothers who are absent in their children's lives for a number of reasons. A mother who has left the home environment, even if available telephonically is perceived as being absent (Träger, 2017). An absent mother is someone who does not have a sense of attachment to the child as they are not present in the child's life (Xu, 2013).…”

Section: Introduction 11 Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpacking the social constructions of motherhood: exploring mother presence among young African women.

Majola

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The experience of pregnancy and childbirth are life changing for women. In most African societies, childcare is often a woman’s responsibility. The motherhood journey of a young woman may be significantly impacted by the presence and/or absence of a biological mother. The presence of a biological mother is regarded as important in all stages of development, particularly for female children. However, mothers are absent for a number of reasons including their death. The absence of a biological mother exposes children to various challenges, including poverty, poor educational attainments and health issues. A growing body of research in South Africa has focused on father absence; however, few has explored mother absence and the implications this has on children. Therefore, this study aimed to unpack the meaning of motherhood as socially constructed by young African women in a township of KwaZulu-Natal province. The study sought to explore the perspectives and experiences of young women, taking into consideration the presence and/or absence of a biological mother. A qualitative research methodology was employed and data was obtained through telephonic interviews with 20 young women who grew up living with the presence of their biological mothers as well as 20 young women who grew up in the absence of their biological mothers. Young women were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. The findings of the study suggest that the presence of a biological mother was significant for women who fell pregnant at a young age. Even though grandmothers and extended family members were actively supporting young women who had absent mothers, the presence of a biological mother was deemed essential for women. The transition from girlhood to motherhood was accompanied by numerous implications for young women. Financial challenges stemming from unemployment, poor economic backgrounds and father absence affected young mothers. This negatively impacted education and career aspiration of certain young women. The study recommends the involvement of families, government and private stakeholders in supporting young mothers. This can be achieved by enhancing family support programmes within communities. Furthermore, the promotion of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) is deemed important for the reduction of high rates of unemployment among young women in South Africa.

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Single Dads in the Entertainment Arena: Hegemonic Hierarchies and Happy Endings

Feasey

2021

Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life

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Symbolic Matricide Gone Awry: On Absent and—Maybe Even Worse—Present Mothers in Horror Movies

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

The dead and the abhorred: Mindhunter and the persistence of mother-blame

The dead and the abhorred: Mindhunter and the persistence of mother-blame

Unpacking the social constructions of motherhood: exploring mother presence among young African women.

Single Dads in the Entertainment Arena: Hegemonic Hierarchies and Happy Endings

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