Alia Asad Ullah
Written by one of the finest writers Maxim Gorky in 1906 of the twentieth century, the book Matb( mother in Russian) was first published in English in Appleton’s Magazine. In 1907 it was republished in Russian. This book was translated into many languages and made into multiple films due to its significant content. This novel written on real-life events depicts several topics that include poverty, hunger, political and economical revolutions, a mother’s love for her child, an average woman’s transformation and contribution to revolutions, extreme feudalism, and other relevant themes. In his novel, Gorky revolves the plot around the protagonist “Pelageya Nilvona Vlasova” from a woman who works in a factory to a mother who supports his son in revolutionary groups. Initially, the protagonist works in a factory doing hard manual labor, coping with poverty at the same time. Physical assaults by her junky husband are what should add to her miseries but she bears everything normally as if she must however, her husband does not even care for his son. After her husband’s death, Pavel, her son who is the second main character in this novel starts to earn. Eventually, he gets involved in a revolutionary group and starts bringing books at home. As being uneducated and unaware of politics and having a life that is all about her house and son, she grows worried about the changed attitude and activities of his son. As the only one she can rely on and the only one she has in the world, Pavel is the center of love for her. Her worrisome converts into curiosity and she gains interest in her son’s activities. Surely, she objects when realizes her son is in an organization that works for the poor and proletariats, and the books he brings home are forbidden by sovereignty. All his son was involved in was dangerous for his life from every dimension. Nevertheless, his son with the aggression of a young man and a rebellious trait that every youth has, accuses her mother of being stupid and naive and not knowing the truth. Furthermore, her mother at the end of the day has to let his son do anything he wants even though it endangers his life because his determined son would not stop in the first place. Besides, Pavel is the only one she has for the rest of her life and she cannot afford to lose her relationship with his son. However, she decides to start helping her son in his journey. Well, at the beginning no one expects much from her as they underestimate Nilvona for being illiterate but she proves to be an active member of the revolutionary group that works for the rights of the proletariat and monopoly and worker’s exploitation by the bourgeoisie as her mother also works in the factory. Apart from this, she is less suspicious of rebels in the eyes of authorities as she is an old poor woman. She succeeds in many works for her people and realizes how essential political, social, and economical rights are for life and how momentous it is to protest for them even though it’s hazardous. The journey of supporting her son, the revolutionary group, and the people of her class(proletariat) makes her meet herself and explore her potential. The intellectual, meek, submissive, afraid women with badgering maternal feelings manage to reinforce themselves into a persistent women with a contribution to the community and a major existence who utilizes her capabilities through her revolutionary works. She works more than anyone else with death lurking in her head. His son grows proud of her mother. Her unusual transformation from an average woman who once used to be a victim of assaults by her drunkard husband to a highly respected revolutionary woman is one of the inspirational nuances of the novel, Mother. To sum up, Maxim Gorky’s this piece is phenomenal filled with much inspiration. Though written in as simple language as possible, it is quite attention-grabber because of the honesty of the description, the well-known facts and realities, and the creative aura of this novel.
