A Child Called "It" book cover

A Child Called "It"

by Dave Pelzer

Start Free Trial

Discussion Topic

The characterization and fate of the mother in A Child Called "It"

Summary:

In A Child Called "It", the mother is characterized as abusive and cruel, subjecting her son, David, to severe physical and emotional abuse. Her fate is not explicitly detailed in the book, but her actions lead to David's eventual rescue and placement in foster care, highlighting the impact of her neglect and mistreatment.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How is the mother described in chapter 2 of A Child Called "It"?

Given how she's portrayed in the rest of the book, it's somewhat disarming to find Dave Pelzer's mother described in such positive terms in chapter 2 of A Child Called "It," “Good Times.”

Near the beginning of the chapter, Pelzer unhesitatingly describes this woman, who in due course will turn out to be a thoroughly evil child abuser, as “a woman who glowed with love for her children.” One can only look askance at such a description, given what we know about Catherine's subsequent ill-treatment of Dave.

As well as being a loving mother, Catherine is further described as always having ideas and as always taking command of family matters. This makes her seem like a take-charge kind of a person, someone to look up to.

For good measure, Dave's mom was always something of a clean fiend. She always made sure that the house was immaculate and that the family's small flower garden was well kept, making it the envy of their neighbors.

To top off her status as the quintessential suburban mom, Catherine was, Dave assures us, a gifted cook. She was always coming up with great ideas for meals; the more exotic they were, the more she liked them. Among other things, this made special occasions like Halloween and Christmas a real joy for the whole family.

Overall, Pelzer presents a very positive image of his mother in chapter 2 of A Child Called "It." However, once we reach the next chapter, that will all change dramatically.

Last Updated on
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What happens to the mother in A Child Called "It"?

Most readers of A Child Called It would assume that after the police had seen the signs of physical abuse on the author's body and decided that he must be separated from his mother, she would be prosecuted. However, Catherine Roevra Pelzer was not tried for her crimes and served no jail time. The author says that he has met her as an adult, and that she confessed that, if he had not escaped, she would eventually have killed him.

If Catherine Pelzer had killed her son and the police had collected enough evidence, she would have been tried for murder. However, in the early 1970s, child abuse was not commonly acknowledged. The principal and teachers who called in the police knew they were risking their jobs by making it a legal matter. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was passed in 1974, the year after Dave Pelzer was taken away from his mother and, from that point onwards, people started to become more aware of child abuse as a crime. One of the reasons Pelzer gives for writing his memoir is to raise consciousness of child abuse and to suggest what action people should take if they suspect that it is occurring.

Last Updated on
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What happens to the mother in A Child Called "It"?

A Child Called "It" is written from the perspective of a child. Pelzer details the years of horrific abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother, Catherine Roerva Pelzer, but gives no psychological or medical explanation for her actions. He refers to her alcoholism and to her mood swings. Sometimes, Mrs. Pelzer would treat her son kindly, only to return suddenly and arbitrarily to her former abusive behavior. She also varied between neglect and selfishness, apparently forgetting her son's existence, to active sadistic torture, smearing his face with excrement or burning his arm.

It is important to note that the author's mother generally took care to hide the extent of her abuse from others, even her husband and other children. However, it was clear that, at the very least, the author was being neglected, since he was sent to school in the same unwashed clothes each day, and often had to steal food to survive.

Even trained psychiatrists would be wary of offering a diagnosis based on a third-person account of someone's behavior, and it is not clear what, if any, mental illness affected Catherine Roerva Pelzer. She appears to have been addicted to alcohol, but this alone would scarcely explain her treatment of her son. She remains for the reader a figure of pure malevolence and is all the more frightening because her conduct is unexplained.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Last Updated on