"Love in Infant Monkeys" Analysis
“Love in Infant Monkeys”
Lydia Millet
A mother can impact lives greatly. Could you imagine growing up without a mother? You can either be very lucky with a mother that cares for you or be deprived of that sense of love from a mother figure. It is inhumane to destroy any kind of maternal bond because mothers are not people to depend on, but are people to make depending not required.
In my opinion, Harry doesn’t understand the true meaning of mothers earlier in the story but does get they have some sort of value. The repercussions of this lie in the story. Many times he brings up mothers whether it’s with his sick wife or the infant monkey’s mother. Harlow must not think much of mothers in general based off of what was said in the story, “Mother’s are useful, …in scientific terms” (Harlow 310). A solid explanation is the fact that he obviously does not totally understand the strip down meaning of mother. Harlow is now drawing a very small part of the very big picture, “They have intrinsic value, even beyond their breast milk. Call it their company” (Harlow 310). He gets that mothers naturally belong and that they are sort of important to the people they need to influence and care for, no matter if they are human or not. However, at this point in the story he doesn’t comprehend the true values of mother.
Harlow later in the story conducts an experiment with an infant monkey and its mother that should give him closure about his hypothesis. Without compassion he begins tests, “Anxiety first, shown in trembling and shaking; then come the screams” (311). This examines Harlow and his lack of realization and empathy towards mothers and how they have essentials that are beyond scientific. Slowly though, he begins to show and give in to his inner feelings about mothers. It takes a few experiments for him to realize “Time after time, baby monkeys return. Bad mother is better then none” (312). It took time and cruel methods but Harlow is almost at the
Lydia Millet
A mother can impact lives greatly. Could you imagine growing up without a mother? You can either be very lucky with a mother that cares for you or be deprived of that sense of love from a mother figure. It is inhumane to destroy any kind of maternal bond because mothers are not people to depend on, but are people to make depending not required.
In my opinion, Harry doesn’t understand the true meaning of mothers earlier in the story but does get they have some sort of value. The repercussions of this lie in the story. Many times he brings up mothers whether it’s with his sick wife or the infant monkey’s mother. Harlow must not think much of mothers in general based off of what was said in the story, “Mother’s are useful, …in scientific terms” (Harlow 310). A solid explanation is the fact that he obviously does not totally understand the strip down meaning of mother. Harlow is now drawing a very small part of the very big picture, “They have intrinsic value, even beyond their breast milk. Call it their company” (Harlow 310). He gets that mothers naturally belong and that they are sort of important to the people they need to influence and care for, no matter if they are human or not. However, at this point in the story he doesn’t comprehend the true values of mother.
Harlow later in the story conducts an experiment with an infant monkey and its mother that should give him closure about his hypothesis. Without compassion he begins tests, “Anxiety first, shown in trembling and shaking; then come the screams” (311). This examines Harlow and his lack of realization and empathy towards mothers and how they have essentials that are beyond scientific. Slowly though, he begins to show and give in to his inner feelings about mothers. It takes a few experiments for him to realize “Time after time, baby monkeys return. Bad mother is better then none” (312). It took time and cruel methods but Harlow is almost at the