All the profits that Papa made by the sweat of his brow from his mill she extorted from him and spent the lot on expensive dressmakers who made her luxurious dresses. But she was too mean to wear them: she saved them up at the back of her wardrobe, and most of the time she wore an old mouse-coloured housecoat round the house. Only a couple of times a year she got herself up like the Tsar's carriage to go to synagogue or to some charity ball, so the whole town could see her and burst with envy. Yet she shouted at us that we were ruining Papa. Fania
This quote from Amos Oz’s 'A Tale of Love and Darkness' captures the bitter contradictions and complexities that can exist within family dynamics and personal relationships, especially those tinged with economic struggles and social appearances. The image of a mother figure who aggressively extracts every penny earned by her husband, only to lavish it on a lavish lifestyle that she seldom actually enjoys, creates a powerful portrayal of contradiction and control....
