The Motherhood Test

A Pale View of Hills

The novel sets competing ideas of motherhood against the choices adults make when children are afraid, difficult, or inconvenient.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Etsuko’s Anxiety Etsuko’s Anxiety from "A Pale View of Hills". Fear Before Birth A new responsibility Etsuko is pregnant and worries about what motherhood will require.

Etsuko’s Anxiety from "A Pale View of Hills". Fear Before Birth A new responsibility Etsuko is pregnant and worries about what motherhood will require.

Fear Before Birth A new responsibility Etsuko is pregnant and worries about what motherhood will require. Mariko’s refusal to trust her after a friendly invitation becomes, in retrospect, a small source of misgiving about her own capacity to care. Reassurance from others Mrs. Fujiwara tells Etsuko that a positive attitude matters and says she will make a splendid mother. The confidence offered to Etsuko contrasts with the uncertainty she feels inside.

Sachiko’s Maternal Claims Sachiko’s Maternal Claims from "A Pale View of Hills". Welfare as Argument A repeated defense Sachiko insists that Mariko’s welfare is of the utmost importance and that she has carefully considered the move.

Sachiko’s Maternal Claims from "A Pale View of Hills". Welfare as Argument A repeated defense Sachiko insists that Mariko’s welfare is of the utmost importance and that she has carefully considered the move.

Welfare as Argument A repeated defense Sachiko insists that Mariko’s welfare is of the utmost importance and that she has carefully considered the move. She presents America as a place where her daughter can study and find opportunities. Doubt dismissed Etsuko asks about education and the strain of migration, but Sachiko hears skepticism as envy or a lack of support. Her claim of responsibility does not settle whether the plan is safe.

A Child’s Fear Overruled A Child’s Fear Overruled from "A Pale View of Hills". The Child’s Objection Resistance made plain Mariko tells Etsuko she does not want to go and calls Frank a pig.

A Child’s Fear Overruled from "A Pale View of Hills". The Child’s Objection Resistance made plain Mariko tells Etsuko she does not want to go and calls Frank a pig.

The Child’s Objection Resistance made plain Mariko tells Etsuko she does not want to go and calls Frank a pig. Sachiko has already spoken of the move as settled and of Mariko as capable of adapting. Competing judgments Etsuko tries to reassure the child, while Sachiko’s plans leave little room for Mariko’s refusal. The conflict turns maternal authority into a question of whether a parent can claim to know what a child needs.

The Kittens Taken Away The Kittens Taken Away from "A Pale View of Hills". Care Made Conditional A promise withdrawn Sachiko refuses to take the kittens despite having agreed that Mariko could keep them.

The Kittens Taken Away from "A Pale View of Hills". Care Made Conditional A promise withdrawn Sachiko refuses to take the kittens despite having agreed that Mariko could keep them.

Care Made Conditional A promise withdrawn Sachiko refuses to take the kittens despite having agreed that Mariko could keep them. She calls the child childish and treats the animals as an obstacle to departure. A troubling contradiction Sachiko says that her daughter comes first, yet ignores Mariko’s grief as she puts the animals in a box. The scene makes her professed maternal responsibility difficult to reconcile with her conduct.

Etsuko’s Final Admission Etsuko’s Final Admission from "A Pale View of Hills". Motherhood and Regret Knowing the risk Etsuko tells Niki that she knew Keiko would not be happy in England but chose to take her there.

Etsuko’s Final Admission from "A Pale View of Hills". Motherhood and Regret Knowing the risk Etsuko tells Niki that she knew Keiko would not be happy in England but chose to take her there.

Motherhood and Regret Knowing the risk Etsuko tells Niki that she knew Keiko would not be happy in England but chose to take her there. The admission recalls Sachiko’s insistence that a mother must decide for her child’s future. No simple verdict Etsuko neither declares the choice a mistake nor accepts Niki’s full absolution. The parallel leaves motherhood as a field of responsibility in which love does not guarantee good outcomes.

during her first months of pregnancy

after Sachiko announces the plan to go to America

the evening Mariko says she does not want to leave

the last evening in Sachiko’s cottage

the final morning of Niki’s visit