Like Mother, Like Daughter

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of rape.

One of Cleo’s core memories is of a time when her mother taught her to swim in the ocean at Jacob Riis Park the summer before fifth grade. This memory serves as a symbol of the underlying connection between them, developing the theme of The Bond Between Mothers and Daughters. Cleo’s changing understanding of this memory over the course of the narrative reflects her changing appreciation.

Initially, Cleo feels that this memory represents the first moment she stood up and asserted her independence from her mother. Katrina was pressuring Cleo to swim in the ocean despite Cleo’s fear of doing so. In response, Cleo told her to stop “trying to control everything” (35). Cleo was disappointed that her mother was “always pushing [her] to be someone different” when she just wanted to be loved for who she was (35).

Later, Cleo recalls how later that same day, she agreed to at least try to swim in the ocean. While standing at the water’s edge, her mother revealed that she hadn’t learned to swim until she was in law school. This revelation highlights Cleo’s growing understanding of her mother as a complex person who struggled to succeed despite her difficult past.