She Nags Because She Loves

Awake & Sing by Clifford Odets like many other stories we have read so far this semester, shows the struggle between two very different generations. Bessie, the main character, plays the role of the stereotypical Jewish mother. She is always instigating in her children’s lives by trying to marry off her daughter or never think any woman is good enough for her son.

But we must look deeper at this woman. She is a very complex character. As we analyze her more throughout the story we learn just how strong of a woman she actually is, and that she only wants what is best for her children. (She nags because she loves.)

Bessie is playing both mother and father to her children, due to an incompetent husband. Bessie is like most mothers that we know of today. She sacrificed her happiness in order for her children to have a better life. At the time when this story took place the main goal was for most children to become successful in a world where their parents had not.