# XII explained — The Mother

> Chapter companion for The Mother by Pearl S. Buck.

## What happens

The mother, burdened by guilt over her past sin and its possible effect on her blind daughter, makes a pilgrimage to a distant temple to pray for the girl's sight. After her prayer, she feels uncertain and returns home, where she resolves to take her daughter to town for treatment. The next day, they set out early, and the mother struggles with her own memories and fears as she leads her daughter along the unfamiliar road.

## Themes in this chapter

### Motherhood and Sacrifice

The mother's journey to the distant temple and her determination to take her daughter to town illustrate her sacrificial love and sense of responsibility for her child's well-being.

### Sin and Retribution

The mother's fear that her own sin has caused her daughter's blindness, and her struggle with guilt and the desire for atonement, dominate her thoughts and actions in this chapter.

## Character check-ins

### The Mother

The mother undertakes a pilgrimage to a distant temple to pray for her blind daughter's sight, burdened by guilt over her own sin. She later decides to take the girl to town, selling or discarding the trinkets from her past.

### The Young Girl

The blind daughter, excited yet anxious about the trip to town, reveals that she did not realize how little she could see until faced with the unfamiliar road.

### The Elder Son

The elder son expresses his long-held suspicion that something was wrong with his sister's eyes.

### The Young Man

The younger son, quick and clever, remarks that he never noticed anything wrong with his sister's eyes, and later makes a sharp comment about her blindness.

## Key lines

> Some sin her parents did, perhaps⁠—who knows the heart?

The apothecary suggested that the girl's blindness might be punishment for a sin committed by her parents.

_This remark fuels the mother's guilt and motivates her pilgrimage._

> How do I know what heaven wills? I could but say my prayer and it must be as heaven wills and we can only wait and see how it will be.

The mother expresses uncertainty about whether her prayer was heard, resigning herself to fate.

_Reflects her helplessness and the weight of her unresolved sin._

> I wish my eyes were clear today so I could see the strange sights in the town.

The blind girl wistfully wishes she could see the town's unfamiliar sights.

_Highlights her innocence and the tragedy of her condition._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mother_se/chapters/xii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mother_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mother_se/chapters