Motherhood and Sacrifice

Through Suzanne’s point of view, Yoerg connects motherhood to sacrifice. Suzanne’s life is scheduled with endless tasks to make life easier for her children and husband. She has sacrificed her passion for botany in order to be the wife and mother that society and her parents tell her she should be. Yoerg questions this kind of sacrifice through Suzanne’s growing dissatisfaction. She begins seeing her life as a “cage” feeling trapped by her circumstances and the tasks that make up her existence.

Her life is contrasted to Mia’s, with Suzanne comparing Mia’s parenting of “throwing money at a problem” as not being the same as her way of “throwing your life at it” (201). Mia’s career also separates them in terms of sacrifice, with Suzanne believing it gives her another purpose than solely obsessing over her children; “Perhaps you...