Often used as a plot device to drive a son’s quest for identity or to foster sympathy for his "abandonment". 2. Notable Literary Examples
| Theme | Literature | Film | |-------|------------|------| | Enmeshment & Oedipal | Sons and Lovers | Spanking the Monkey | | Absent mother, son’s longing | The Road | Aftersun (daughter, but tone applies) | | Devouring / controlling | I, Claudius | The Manchurian Candidate | | Sacrificial working-class | The Grapes of Wrath | The Florida Project | | Addiction & role reversal | Shuggie Bain | The Fighter | | Psychosis & internalized mother | We Need to Talk About Kevin | Psycho | Often used as a plot device to drive