For October 20, 2009

We have come across many different types of relationships during our lives. One of the things that make it so special is that they are all unique. There are all different forms of relationships such as one between friends, a partner, a husband or wife, a serious long term, or a short-term, a mother-son or daughter, a father-son or daughter, or even friends with benefits type of relationship. In all manners, these are all ways in which people have become one and bonded with each other. Although all of them are essential, one of the major relationships is a mother-son relationship. Here is a depiction of how the strength the bond between a m0ther and son should be.

Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o-wZ698wXs4/SQ_BTh5ANLI/AAAAAAAAAJY/1SlfdZBIDwM/S660/Mother+and+Son.bmp

A.R. Kennington Art

From birth, there was a bond formed that no one could ever be replaced. That beautiful picture of birth itself, then to a son can be beneficial. It has been said many times that a mother is closer to her son and a father is more attached to his daughter. Having both parents to guide a child through the ins and outs of life is special, but both a mother and father provide different ideas that the other rarely can understand. A mother makes her son strong and provides that stability that he will need to sustain in life. While a father teaches his son to be strong enough to even fight with the world, it is the mother who teaches her son to distinguish when and where to think from his heart.

From the time a mother enters into her son’s life, she is worried about someone taking her place. As the son matures, he will possibly have a woman in his life that he cares and adores as much as his mother. As long as the son reassures his mother that no one can take his place, then his mother can be at ease with his decision for a future partner. The mother also has to learn not to hold on to her son and understand that he must group up sometime.

Walt Whitman and his mother, Louisa Van Velsor Whitman had this type of unbreakable relationship. Whitman loved his mother and cherished her even after her death in May 1873. Whitman at a young age took on a fatherly role for the rest of his family, being the second eldest child.  He often described it as “a very restless and unhappy,” time for him Kaplan 62). Although he continued to look after his family until his death, he was noted to be only closest to his mother and his two sisters born after him, named Hannah and Mary and Eddy, who he treated as a son and Jeff, whom he called his only real brother, in a family of eleven.  I believe that the relationships formed with the females in his life, further gave him an affectionate and compassionate personality. An example of this is seen when Whitman’s mother spends the day with an American Indian woman. “My mother looked in delight and amazement at the stranger,” and “The more she looked upon her she loved her, / Never before had she seen such wonderful beauty and purity” (LG 1855, 74) (Folsom, Price).

They Had been taught by their mothers

Source: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o-wZ698wXs4/SQ_BTh5ANLI/AAAAAAAAAJY/1SlfdZBIDwM/S660/Mother%2Band%2BSon.bmp&imgrefurl=http://arkenningtonart.blogspot.com/&usg=__ngIT-XUuKuYZk1psyTpIouzJ5dg=&h=386&w=519&sz=57&hl=en&start=61&tbnid=bfc9xo77PRfi3M:&tbnh=97&tbnw=131&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMother%2Band%2Bson%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D60

During her most crucial moments, Louisa would call on Whitman to help. After the war the Whitman family began to crumble. His brother Andrew was sick, Jesse began to grow violent, and his sister Hannah was in a failing marriage to an abusive husband. Of course Louisa was genuine in her decision to call Whitman for help, since he was the father figure of the household. By this time, Whitman was in Washington, and his family residing in New York. Whitman compassionately took the trip to New York, to be at his mother’s side during her time of need, while also experiencing the death of his brother Andrew. Forced to reckon with reality, the lonely and confused Whitman returned to Washington.

Because his father, Walter wasn’t suitable to completely provide for his family like he should have. Walter often turned to alcohol and had phases of depression, causing Whitman to bear adult responsibilities, and his family to be dependent upon Whitman. . Whitman took on the role as a substitute father. Loaded with concerns and issues within his family, Whitman with the help of his mother tried to rebuild up what was left of their family.

Not the best years of his life, Whitman experienced a collection of life changing events. In January 23, 1873, Whitman had a stroke, his sister-in-law died of cancer, and tragically, in May of the same year his mother died. Trying to piece back his life again, Whitman moved back to Camden, New Jersey. This rode of darkness that he experienced during this year left him confused and alone in the world, lacking the motherly love he was accustomed to.

WORKS CITED

1. Kaplan, Justin. Walt Whitman: A Life.
2. Folsom, Ed and Kenneth M. Price.  Re-Scripting Walt Whitman: An Introduction to His Life and Work. Blackwell Publishing in 2005. http://www.whitmanarchive.org/criticism/current/anc.00152.html.