Discuss the son's views on glory, women and children in 'The mother of a traitor'.
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The mother of a traitor
Maxim Gorky
"The mother of a traitor" by axim Gorky is a short story which deals with dual love: lovefor the country and love for the son.Monna Marinna's son has become enemical towards his own country. He doesn't haveany real grudge (Complaint) against the country. However, he wants' to destroy the whole cityand thus become popular amount the citizens. He wants that each citizen and each and everyobject of the country should know his name and get afraid of him. He is now the head of thetroops who have surrounded the city from all sides and are ready to set fire into it. There isrestlessness everywhere in the city. No one is happy. All the people are crying bitterly out of pain. The enemies are giving utmost tortures to the citizens. They have been deprived of allkinds of facilities. The enemies have brown dead bodies into all the streams that supply water tothe city. The citizens have lost all kind of hope of life. Everything spoke to them of death, andnot a star was there in the sky to give them consolation. They were also afraid to light the lampson the houses at night.Monna Marinna herself is not happy with what her son has become. She thinks of her son and her country as a mother and citizen respectively. She had thought previously that her son would become a great leader of the country and would do something for the nation. But, toher great dismay, she has found her son as different and heartless citizen to all the people. Hehas betrayed his own country and also his own mother.Marinna ahs equal love for her son and for her native city. But, as a mother her heart isweeping as her son has given suffering to all the citizens. Every citizen calls her "The mother of the traitor" which gives unbearable pain to her heart. So, she decides to leave the city and goesto her son. She finds her son crazed with the thirst for more glory. She tries to convince her sonby telling him that a hero is he who creates life by conquering death. But he answers veryarrogantly that the destroyer is as glorious as the builder of the city. He has become so blind for the glory that he remains totally unaffected by her persuasion. Finally, Marinna makes her sotake rest in her lap and immediately covers him with her black cloak and then kills him bypushing a knife into his heart. Thus by killing her son, she fulfills her duty as a citizen. But she isalso a mother and a mother cannot live her life comfortably by killing h