A Jest Of God :: essays research papers

A Jest of God                    We were strangers from the beginning                    tormented by our difference                    which did not exist.                                   (Betsy Warland)An important ingredient inherent in a successful mother-daughter kinship is balance. Like the scales of justice, maintaining equilibriumrequires work. The special bond amidst mother and daughter is delicate andunlike any other relationship due to expectations of performance on behalf ofboth women. The female psyche is, characteristically, peculiar(prenominal) each womanhaving a certain regiment making them selves unique. Ideals and air learned,possibly inherited, from others are two of many things which carve anindividuals psycheality. It is these similarities and differences which often give conflicts betwixt mother and daughter. In A Jest of God, the relationshipbetween Rachel and her mother is strained due to unspoken expectations that eachhad of the other. Stemming from poor communication, a host of differences wereassumed to exist between the two, when in fact their difference originated intheir sameness.The largest weapon which spear-headed the communication war between Racheland her mother was the generation gap coming from different eras, the pairassumed they had nothing in common. In Rachels eyes her mother was a pristine,saintly woman who keep high moral values for herself and her family.Therefore, being a good person and making the right decisions was neverquestionable to Rachel, as this was how her mother judge her to behave.Rachel listened numerous times to her moth er comment on how "peculiar" her fashion looked, and spoke of anyone else she observed doing the same. Althoughthis annoyed Rachel about her mother, she adopted similar paranoia tendencies,speculating how her behavior with Nick, a summer beau, looked to anyone whocould be watching or noticing. Irritated by her mothers attitude, Rachelexcused it on the pretense that her views reflected the past times in which shelived. However, Rachel had uncomplete the patience nor the desire to speak outagainst her mother for fear of stirring trouble between them. The irony inRachels decision is that their relationship need just what she was sodesperately trying to avoid.     By turning her rachis on the communication line between herself and hermother, Rachel wanted to believe that the problem was inherent in themisunderstanding each had of the other. Underneath her shell, Rachel was comingto price with what was really true of the gap between herself and her moth ertheir difference set in her want to not be similar. Both were single Rachel unwedded and her mother a widow. Through her fling with Nick, Rachel wanted toexpress her desires to be independent from her mother, and have an adult