Scapegoating and the Dilemma of Motherhood: A Critical Reading of Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child

Feminism is a socio-political movement that aims at bringing about fundamental changes in society in favor of women. Unlike many other female writers, Lessing feminist approach has marked a transition that has been important in feminist criticism. Lessing is an untraditional feminist as she calls not for equality between men and women in social and political rights but for defending women in the context of the given social pressures. That is the influence of traditions and social conventions on the lives of women. Harriet’s sufferings from the different social and psychological pressures as a result of, first, deviating from the dominant social conventions regarding family construction and maternal life and, second, giving birth to an abnormal child expose her a scapegoat from an implicit feminist point of view. She is scapegoated for making choices that are not in line with what the society believes in. At another level, Harriet has to undergo a dilemma as she has to choose either to be a dedicated mother through caring for her abnormal child, or to act as a perfect wife through neglecting the abnormal child and caring for the husband and the family well-being. She is split between her duties as a wife and her requirements as a dedicated mother. In brief, Harriet’s experiences as a dedicated mother, on the one hand, and a perfect wife in light of the different circumstances that have characterized her life, on the other, have exposed her as an implicit feminist figure.