The Consequences Of Fear And Desire In Little Fires Everywhere

Fear and desire are two ends of a spectrum. We are drawn to our desires and repulsed by fear. But are they more similar than we think? Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere explores the consequences of fear and desire and reveals that these two seemingly opposite concepts are related. While fear and desire can be polar opposites, they both prevent one from living their life to the fullest. Elena Richardson’s fear of Izzy’s potential health problems and desire for superiority prevents her from attaining happiness.

Due to her fear of Izzy’s potential health problems, Elena’s relationship with Izzy has triggered anxiety and resentment. Mothers take pride and happiness in their children as how they behave and are raised is a reflection of themselves.

This clearly depicts how tense and anxious Elena is about her daughter, as she struggles to even look at her. This ultimately takes away the joy of being a mother, as she can no longer experience the happiness of watching her own daughter grow up. Furthermore, Elena resents Izzy for the continual fear of potential health complications following her birth. By holding onto resentment, it has kept Elena from building a happy relationship with Izzy. Elena’s resentment has led her to disregard Izzy and not provide her with the motherly figure one needs when growing up. As a result, she misbehaves to draw attention and frustrates her mother. For instance, Izzy was not permitted to go to sleepovers because she was misbehaving, so instead, she sneaked

Elena’s desire for superiority and willingness to go to any length to gain power over others has hindered her ability to experience joy. She is unable to form relationships and understand others’ true identities--not the hard, concrete facts of their lives, but who they are as people. For instance, Elena felt threatened by Mia’s unapologetic, free lifestyle and was searching for ways to gain superiority over her. She “wanted to keep an eye on Mia” (Ng 69), which she compared to keeping “your eye on a dangerous beast” (Ng 69). Subsequently, Elena developed a negative judgment on Mia’s character as she discovered more about her past. By being obsessive of Mia’s past, Elena is unable to form true connections with her as she fails to separate actions from one’s true identity. Elena lacks the companionship, sense of belonging and support that having a strong circle of friends provides, all of which would bring her greater fulfillment and happiness. In addition, Elena’s obsession over Mia’s past and desire for power has prevented her from living in the moment. Elena offers to take Lexie, Izzy and Pearl out for a celebratory lunch with the intention of finding more information about Pearl and Mia’s past. Elena’s true motives were exposed when she asked “Where did your mother grow up?” (Ng 147) and manipulated the conversation to get Pearl to share her childhood with Mia. Instead of