Occurrence By Anne Trumbore Analysis

In Anne Trumbore’s “Spite” dramatic point of view and juxtaposition of the mother’s screams with the math problem characterizes the narrator as someone who feels unloved. She distances herself from her mother in the opening paragraph. In this excerpt the author describes the incident as, “A thirty-five-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis fell while taking a shower. She screamed for her husband. He did not hear her (1)”. This paragraph, including this specific line, are delivered in 3rd person dramatic view. The rest of the passage is delivered in first person, making the narrator become directly involved in the story instead of being an outsider to the situation. During the incident the author describes how she reacted to her mother. She
ignores her mother’s screams and instead focusses on a math problem. Her mom cries out “oh God. Oh my God, Jack!” and the author responds with “let’s see. If she has as many brothers as she has sisters, and she is also someone’s sister, then brothers equal sisters minus one (herself), or B=S-1” (3). She is clearly ignoring her mother who is calling out in pain. Instead of going to her, the narrator decides to focus on an old math problem. She is distracting herself from her mother’s cries. By solving the equation, the narrator comes to the realization that she is unloved and that she despises her mother. “… Because B=(S-1) or 3=4-1 and my mother and father were safe in their bedroom. I fell asleep, my brain jangling and my heart jumping” (4). The final equation the narrator gets represents her relationship with her family, that she is the odd one out. She fully is aware that her mom does not love her and she does not love her mom. The dramatic point of view and juxtaposition express the author’s true feelings towards her mother. This conveys the theme that a relationship will turn into hatred instead of love if not nourished and cared for, as was the case for the narrator and her mother.