"Prozac Diary" and "Falling Angels"

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and contrasts "Prozac Diary" by Lauren Slater and "Falling Angels" by Barbara Gowdy, both of which are based around the role of the mother figure. The paper discusses the plot of both the memoir by Slater and the novel by Gowdy, as well as the issues that are portrayed by the two writers, specifically drug and alcohol abuse of mothers and how they affect families.

From the Paper:

"Both books hint at the threat posed by the mother, with the novel being more explicit about how damaging this might become. This is understandable given that Lauren Slater is talking about her own mother and her own life, though she does see the connection and does understand how much her problem might derive from her mother. She shows many of the same behavioral symptoms as the Field girls, though she finds her way of coping with this in Prozac, while the Field girls have not yet had to face the issue that squarely. Gowdy suggests that they will and that they will also be able to do so without cracking. They are stronger in their way than Slater was, though it would also seem that they have even more reason not to be given what they learn about their mother and how that makes them suffer even more."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gowdy, Barbara. Falling Angels. New York: Soho Press, 1998.
• Slater, Lauren. Prozac Diary. New York: Penguin, 1999.

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