# Sin and Retribution in The Mother

> Theme guide for The Mother by Pearl S. Buck.

The mother's adulterous affair and subsequent pregnancy are framed as a sin she believes brings divine punishment, manifesting in her daughter's blindness, her son's barren wife, and her own physical decline.

## Where it surfaces

- [The Heat of Desire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mother_se/chapters/x): The act of covering the gods' eyes symbolizes the mother's awareness of transgression and her attempt to hide her sin.
- [The Unyielding Seed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mother_se/chapters/xi): The mother's adultery leads to a secret pregnancy, fear of discovery, and the townsman's cold rejection, which she sees as a form of payment for her transgression.
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mother_se/chapters/xii): The mother's fear that her own sin has caused her daughter's blindness, and her struggle with guilt and the desire for atonement, dominate her thoughts and actions in this chapter.
- [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mother_se/chapters/xvii): The mother believes her past sins—adultery, lies about her husband's death—are the cause of her misfortunes, including her daughter's death and her daughter-in-law's barrenness.
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mother_se/chapters/xix): The mother wonders if her past sins are being punished, but the birth of her grandson offers a sense of redemption.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mother_se/themes/sin_and_retribution
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mother_se/themes