Question

In "Tears, Idle Tears," how does Mrs. Dickinson feel about her son?

Accepted Answer

Mrs. Dickinson is clearly a woman who finds it particularly hard to engage with her emotions. Consider what we are told about how she responded to the death of her husband and in particular the way that she shut herself off emotionally and did her best not to express any emotion whatsoever. Her emotional detachment makes it particularly difficult for her to understand her son and why he keeps on crying. The story...

(The entire section contains 232 words.)

Unlock This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.

Start your 48-Hour Free Trial

Already a member? Log in here.

She whipped out a handkerchief and dabbed at him with it under his grey felt hat, exclaiming meanwhile in tearful mortification, "You really haven’t got to be such a baby!"

For her, tears are a sign of weakness, and because she has shut herself off from tears, she is not able to comfort her son. Although she does love him, she is unable to empathise with his tears and finds herself withdrawing from him:

She walked fast, the gap between her and Frederick widened.

Bowen in this story provides us with an example of how our emotions shape our relationships with those around us. Even though the mother loves her son, she is unable to cope with him when he is crying because of her own emotional detachment.

Tears, Idle Tears

In "Tears, Idle Tears," how does Mrs. Dickinson feel about her son?

Expert Answers

Unlock This Answer Now

Related Questions

Does Mrs. Dickinson lover her son in "Tears, Idle Tears"?

Please can you give a presentation of Mrs. Dickinson in "Tears, Idle Tears."

In the poem "Tears, Idle Tears" why does the poet Lord Alfred Tennyson describe tears as "idle"?

In "Tears, Idle, Tears," in what way does Frederick's mother attempt to cure him?

What effect does Frederick's conversation with the girl in the park have on him in "Tears, Idle Tears"?