Analysis Of Nadja Spiegelman's Are You My Mother

What are mothers required to do? What is it that makes them mothers at all? Is it purely a biological link, a twisted helix of genetic information passed down from one generation to the next? Or is it something more? In Nadja Spiegelman’s I’m Supposed to Protect You from All This, she examines complex questions like these in relation to the maternal side of her family tree.

While the memoir takes into consideration five generations of Spiegelman’s family, it focuses specifically on the relationships between the three youngest (Spiegelman, her mother, and her grandmother). Throughout the text, the readers learn how these women see each other, and Spiegelman takes advantage of different perspectives in exploring these differences in how a family

her own memoir about the past. It was her second of these books. Fun Home, the story of her father was released in 2006 to much critical acclaim. Bechdel explains that her mother always felt resigned about displaying their family for the world to see, and this becomes obvious through their conversations in Are You My Mother? When Bechdel first suggests writing about her mother, she does not respond with the kindness or sincerity that Françoise did. Bechdel does not receive the same encouragement or cooperation. In some ways, it seems as if Bechdel’s mother does not want anything to do with the book at all. When the two discuss it, the conversation lasts for no more than a few minutes before Bechdel’s mother leaves. Comparing this to the nightlong discussions that Spiegelman had with her mother, a reader can sense a sort of disdain from Bechdel’s mother towards her

This is a theme that is also presented in Sarah Polley’s 2012 documentary Stories We Tell. In this film, Polley interviews members of her family and those that are connected to them. The documentary is about her Polley’s mother, Diane, and about how Polley herself came to be. Eventually, through the series of interviews that make up the film, the truth starts to construct itself. Every person who could talk about the story is shown, each giving their own perspectives and opinions. All but one seem content to participate in this style of narrative, all but Harry