Like Mother, Like Mother

Through its exploration of women from multiple generations—Zelda, Lila and Clara, and Grace and Ruth—the text reflects how these women navigate society’s personal and professional expectations of them across time.

Zelda married Aldo in the 1950s, just before the advent of second-wave feminism, and he—with his abusive and controlling nature—demanded his wife be “traditional,” obedient, and domestic. He valued her for her looks, money, and youth. When Zelda could not perform her domestic duties, he demanded that his mother take over as a homemaker. Feminism’s second wave “burst upon the American scene, mobilizing a growing number of women to join various campaigns to promote greater equality between women and men in all aspects of life” (Fox-Genovese, Elizabeth. “Women’s Status: A Century of Enormous Change.” The Public Perspective, 1999). Around this time, Zelda became so desperate to escape her life that she attempted to end it; when this failed, she seized an opportunity to run away and start again. With her second, more forward-thinking husband, Herbert, she was able to go to college, learn to drive, and find gainful and fulfilling employment. Though his mother questions “Frida’s” potential previous sex life when they meet—indicating a very old-fashioned mindset—Herbert himself is much less concerned with controlling his wife.