A Mother's Love

So our class has been talking about how Quentin’s suicide may have been caused by Caddy, his father, his brother, and even Herbert Head. But what about his mother? A mother usually has a close bond with her children, and is almost always instrumental in shaping their child as a person, whether this is in a positive or negative manner. In Quentin’s case, Caroline’s mothering decidedly falls into the latter category. We do not even have to search for proof that Caroline was a bad mother to Quentin, as he often outright laments about how “if I’d just had a mother so I could say mother mother” (pg 172). Caroline was plainly never there to support Quentin, and his numerous references to his mother can lead us to conclude that Quentin was greatly affected by his mother’s lack of caring. However, there is a big difference between adversely affecting a child’s personality and driving them to commit suicide. How much of a part do you think Quentin’s mother played in developing his clearly dysfunctional personality? How do you think Caroline affected the rest of the family dynamics? Do you think she is ultimately to blame for Quentin’s death?