In chapter 3, Lilly suggests she would like to be a birthmother. Mother replies, “Lily! Don’t say that. There’s very little honor in that assignment.” Birth mothers get treated well while thet are fertile but are put to hard labor once they no longer bear children.
When Lily expresses the desire to become a Birthmother, her Mother is appalled. Mother sharply tells Lily, “Don’t say that there’s very little honor in the assignment”.
When we were writing we ran into the query “Why is mother so appalled when Lilly suggests she’d like to be a birth-mother?”.
Lily is enchanted by Gabe and hopes that she will be assigned as a Birthmother, since she likes newchildren and has heard that Birthmothers live pleasant, easy lives.
Why does Lily have to be an eight to become a birthmother?
She will have to be an Eight before she even begins her volunteer hours, giving her an opportunity to experience something about the different possibilities first-hand. When Lily expresses the desire to become a Birthmother, her Mother is appalled. Mother sharply tells Lily, “Don’t say that there’s very little honor in the assignment”.
What is the story behind the birth of Little Lily?
Lily was born Newchild #23. When Jonas was 5, his parents registered for a daughter, and got Lily. It is said that Lily once visited another child-care center, in which Lily felt strange and stupid because they had learned more things than Lily and her class had.
How does lily explain where her parents are?
Lily has lived her life never knowing her mother or having a motherly influence. This has made her feel a huge hole in her life, not knowing or understanding what happened to her mother, and if her mother even loved her. She keeps a tin box of her mother’s possessions, and grieves by holding the objects and dreaming about her mother.
Much of Kidd’s novel is concerned with Lily coming to terms with her mother, Deborah. Although at first Lily idolizes her mother, she’s shocked to learn that Deborah abandoned her when Lily was a small child. Lily also struggles with the possibility that she may have accidentally killed Deborah as a child.
What does Lily argue with her mother about the assignment?
Mother spoke very sharply. “Don’t say that. There is very little honor in that Assignment.” Lily argues back with evidence that she heard from a friend. Lily has heard that Birthmothers get fed well and get to play games all day long. She thinks the life sounds nice.
What do Lily’s parents tell her about the ceremony of 12s?
Her parents quickly tell her that the boy probably didn’t know the rules and that he felt strange and stupid. Lily is then asked to leave the room because her parents begin speaking about Jonas ‘s Ceremony of 12s. When she comes back, she asks for her Comfort Object, which is an elephant.