The Monster On Her Cheek Summary

It’s a beautiful moment when a mother sees her baby for the first time, but it can be quite overwhelming when her baby is born with a defect. Though some women don’t feel the courage to face the challenges of having an “abnormal baby”, others are willing to accept their child as he/she is. In this story, The Monster on Her Cheek, Rebecca Roland demonstrates the emotional struggle but choosing to embrace her child either way. In the setting, Roland started off her narrative with a baby who was just born with a strange “monster” on her cheek. The nurse couldn’t look at Wendy, the mother, in the eyes and even apologized. This shows how even the nurse felt awful for the mother, leaving her to feel guilty and confused. The main character in this
narrative was Wendy. Although the baby was still born healthy, Wendy was embarrassed and felt too weak to care for her. “She wasn’t strong enough to deal with the stares, the questions, the ignorant comments.” To Wendy, it was overwhelming and shocking that her baby was born with an abnormality. She couldn’t look at the face of her daughter because of the “monster.” Yet, she realized that her baby was still beautiful, mentioning that caterpillars “do become butterflies eventually.” In the end, hope and acceptance can be found in this narrative. Wendy, although still afraid of what people would say, decided that it was time to take her daughter out. No more was she keeping her hidden and closed off from the world in her home. “We can do this baby.” Accepting that her daughter wasn’t as normal as every other baby, and embracing the monster she carried, she finally took her baby to the park. It can be difficult for a parent to see his/her child with an abnormality. Many have a hard time facing it, but many also have learned to love and have hope that others will love their child too. Wendy, at first feeling scared and embarrassed, is now embracing her reality with open arms, as we should all.