Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Essay Example

What defines motherhood in the novel Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn?

In stories, we sometimes find the darkest truths in the realest characters. Relationships are always an intricate tale that shows the dynamics, as well as the result of the positive or emotional toll on the people involved. Motherhood is an important to the concept that universally means the practice of raising a child. However, it can be defined in several ways dependent on individual experiences. In the dynamics of the mother and daughter relationship, it is pertinent that the mother is supposed to nurture the daughter, so the daughter can then grow to be a nurturing mother to her own kids. This is not always the case, and in some instances, mothers only serve as a parental figurehead because children were misfortune with being born to them.

In the story of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, this powerful narrative is deeply disturbed tale that showcases the definition of a dysfunctional family, and the main character forced to confront her past demons.  More importantly Gillian Flynn provides a tale of the viciousness of female characters and the haunting and unhealthy relationship between mother and daughter, which has left the latter unable to find themselves due to toxicity of their childhood.  Sharp Objects explores the distant relationships with family, coupled by the secrets, mental illness, and the stark look at real life horrors in the form of a fictional tale. The book questions what defines motherhood and societal gender roles placed on women in the book.

The story of Sharp Objects begins with the tale of the main protagonist, Camille Preaker, a mediocre Chicago newspaper journalist, who was just released from her repeated stay at the local mental hospital.  When the story first begins she is writing a piece on child abuse and is alerted with the news of the next assignment, to go to Wind Gap, her hometown to write on the mysterious murders plaguing the city. Her editor convinces her to explore the story that involves the disappearance and deaths of two preteen girls that have not only been strangled, but their nails painted, and all of their teeth have been pulled out. Camille has had a troubled past thanks in part to her mother Adora, and the untimely death of her young sister Marian.  As a child,the only way to deal with the death of her sister was to inflict self-harm by doing serious cutting of words all over her body. The cutting was so bad that the wordswere permanently inscribed over her body. She has only now learned to move forward moving to a new city, and moving forward with her job as an investigative journalist.

When she returns to Wind Gap, Missouri, she is met by her mother Adora, her step-father Alan, and half-sister Amma, whom she does not know all too well. Her mother Adora, is a strict, evil, vicious woman that does not take kind to her return since she feels she is an awful person for looking into the murders.  More evidently made is Adora, constantly wanting to know when Camille is going to leave, a feeling that is shared by her neighbors, and the families of the missing girls. Not feeling welcomed, she goes around time questioning the murders of the two girls.She falls into a sexual relationship with the out of town detective Richard, but then realizes that she did not come to for Richard but for the murders. She gets back on tasks, and then she is seen sliding back into her dark past, drinking heavily, trying to develop a relationship with Amma and her mother, dealing with her sister’s death, and trying to resist the urge to cut herself. She is not given the task of solving the murders but instead gathering stories and information from the townspeople. What is discovered is her mom’s Munchausen that leads to Richard finding her diary where she confesses to the murders of Marion, and the two girls. Camille moves Amma back home with her, but after another girl is found with her most of her teeth out, she knows it Amma and sends her to juvenile. While cleaning out Amma stuff, the dollhouse that was a replica of Adora’shouse, has a floor made of teeth, in order to get the same affects as her mother.

In Sharp Objects, Flynn tells the story of the unhealthy relationship between mother and daughter. More importantly, Adora is the quintessential example of some women that should not have kids. Motherhood defined in Sharp Objects, shows the negative experience of the protagonist, with a mother so evil in nature, it doesn’t do her justice to call Adora her mother. Motherhood is a practice in which the mother’s or Adora’s only instinct is to treat them as dolls, and get them sick only to get the attention of being a “good” mom. Camille knows herself that parent’s aren’t always good for their children. “I thought being home might do you good, but… I forgot sometimes parent aren’talways…good for their kids. (Flynn 169) When Camille arrives she joys no feelings of happiness or welcoming. “She opened the door and stood in the doorway didn’t seem surprised, and didn’t offer a hug at all, not even the limp one I expected.” (Flynn 24)  She reminds Camille every chance she gets that she was her one true mistake when she was a teenager. This sentiment is extenuating when Adora explains that the flowers chose for dinner were not “good blooms”. This is meant in a symbolizing manner that Camille was a bad bloom, not a gift from God. (Flynn 117)

There is no love between the mother and daughter, and Camille feels that in her childhood, her mother never said I love you or expressed any love. (Flynn 148) This is a trait that defines mothers, a loving.Selfless role that provides a sense of security for their children.Adora’s role as the distant mother is so evil that she was purposely getting her daughter sick to the point that she almost killed her.She had the classic case of Munchausen and was shown that this was the cause of Marian’s death as well. Camille fell ill, andAdora started to medicate her;however, she became sicker. The Detective Richard whom she had relations with was worried and went to check in the house on the medication, thanks to the toxicology reports of Camille. They found pills for anti-malaria, drugs that were discontinued because they would induce blurry vision and fever, industrial grade laxative for farm animals, anti-seizure drugs, ipecac syrup, and house tranquilizers.  The relationship between Camille and Adora is so toxic and unhealthy that Camille imagines her death, “I pictured my mother strapped to a gurney, exchanging pleasantries with the doctor…..suitable, her dying from a poisoned needle.” (Flynn 235)Adora thrive on power, being the richest family in the city, she was able to still have power over her daughter even when she hasn’t seen her for over eight years.

Flynn writes the roles of women as a viciousness and nastiness that is seen as unbecoming of a woman let alone a mother. The societal picture shows women as objects, that are easily conquered, used only for sex and pleasure, and dismissed as irremediably female and frivolous.Camille is a cutter that feels unworthy, an object that is consumed by men, and used only as a matter for them to insert things into. The role of motherhood is supposed to be of loving, compassionate, and nurturing, however, in the society of Wind Gap the women are power-hungry, attention seeking women, which only live to make others submit to them. In the case of Adora, she felt joy out of getting attention for taking care of her “sick” daughter.  The role of the mother was not bestowed onto Adora, even Camille yearned for her love, and “I dreamt my mother was slicing an apple onto thick cuts of meat and feeding it to me, slowly and sweetly because I was dying.” (Flynn 27) Adora challenged the positive role of motherhood and extenuated the concept of everyone’s experience is different. She was cruel, passive in her toxic manner that poison the daughters that she was tasked with raising.

Works Cited

Flynn, Gillian. Sharp Objects. 2006. Random House LLC.