Reconstructing Women and the Portrayal of Modern Motherhood in Gayle Forman’s Leave Me

Abstract

Gayle Forman’s novel Leave me probes into the character of Maribeth Klein, a married woman who tries to find out the meaning of her life. She lives her life just like all other woman sacrificing her whole life for the welfare of her husband and children. She is not worried about own her own self until she faces a heart attack. Because of the pressure of her work and the responsibilities of her family, she even couldn’t realize that she had a heart attack. After that incident she starts questioning whether she has to follow all the rigid rules expected by the society as a mother and wife from her. The novel tries to explore the traditional portrayals of motherhood, where women are expected to fulfill their roles without any selfish motive. Forman tries to reflect the emotional sufferings of a mother when she decides to leave her family, giving priority to her own health. The novel Leave Me presents a modern perspective of women, who try to balance between their family and their own personal self. Women in today’s world do understand the meaning of their own life. The novel provokes the readers to revision the life of women in the background of present society.