I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T TAKE THE TIME TO ANALYZE MOM LALONDE’S ABUSE OF ROSE DUE TO THE FACT THAT HER TYPE OF ABUSE IS SO NORMALIZED IN SOCIETY.
EXAMPLE: SHE’S AN ALCOHOLIC, BUT SINCE SHE’S SHOWN TO BE MORE OF A “HAPPY AND/OR EMOTIONAL” DRUNK, PEOPLE DON’T SEE IT AS “AS HARMFUL” AS A “VIOLENT/ANGRY” DRUNK.
GROWING UP AROUND SOMEBODY WHO IS CONSTANTLY AND CONSISTENTLY DRUNK, WHETHER OR NOT THEY’RE “MAD” STILL HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON YOU. THIS IS INCREASED EVEN MORE SO WITH THE PARENTIFICATION THAT HAPPENS WITH ROSE.
IT’S EXPLICITLY SHOWN THAT, SINCE A YOUNG AGE, ROSE HAS PLAY “THERAPY SESSIONS” AND SUCH. WHICH YEAH, LITTLE GIRLS ARE WEIRD AND ALL, BUT I FEEL THAT’S A DIRECT PARALLEL TOWARDS ROSE TAKING THE BRUNT OF THE EMOTIONAL WELLFARE OF HER *OWN MOTHER* (ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE WHOLE “SHE WAS MORE OF A SISTER, THAN A MOTHER, TO ME” COMMENT SHE MAKES IN THE COMIC ITSELF.)
THIS ISN’T EVEN CONSIDERING HOW ROSE DOESN’T DELVE INTO ACTUAL “THERAPY”/“PSYCHOANALYSIS” FIRST, BECAUSE SHE IS LITERALLY 13 YEARS OLD, AND IT IS ALSO 2009. BUT ALSO BECAUSE A LOT OF HER “ANALYSIS’” ARE JUST PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS SHE HAS ABOUT EVERYBODY ELSE THAT SHE *WANTS* TO BE RIGHT ABOUT.
WE’RE DIRECTLY SHOWN THAT ROSE IS NOT UNBIASED IN HOW SHE VIEWS THINGS, ESPECIALLY HER MOTHER (BOTH IN THE BEGINNING OF THE COMIC, AS WELL AS THE LATTER HALF OF THE COMIC IN TALKING ABOUT HOW SHE SHOULD’VE BEEN A BETTER DAUGHTER.)
A LOT OF PEOPLE ALSO FORGET THAT THE PARENTFICATION AND EMOTIONAL RELIANCE OF THAT DEGREE ON A CHILD, AS AN ADULT, IS A FORM OF EMOTIONAL INCEST. I DO THINK MOM LALONDE HAD A LOT OF ISSUES HERSELF (WHICH IS OBVIOUS, CONSIDERING THE ALCOHOLISM), BUT SHE HANDLED THEM IN SUCH A HARMFUL WAY THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TALKING ABOUT. MOSTLY BECAUSE MOM LALONDE DOES HAVE “GOOD” MOMENTS (TRYING TO GIVE GIFTS TO ROSE CONSTANTLY), WHEN FURTHER ANALYZED ARE SEEN AS WAYS TO “MAKE THINGS GO AWAY” BECAUSE OH LOOK! A SHINY THING! NOW YOU WONT BE UPSET! WHICH IS NOT A HEALTHY WAY TO ENGAGE WITH *ANYBODY* AS IT COMPLETELY NEGLECTS THE UNDERLYING EMOTIONAL ISSUES AT HAND.
MOM LALONDE IS A VERY NUANCED CHARACTER, AS I DON’T THINK SHE HAD *GENUINELY* HARMFUL INTENTS. SHE MADE BAD DECISIONS, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE ACTIONS DIRECTLY IMPACTED A CHILDS LIFE.
THERE’S ALSO A LOT TO BE SAID ABOUT THE PARALLELS BETWEEN (ALPHA) ROXY LALONDE AND (BETA) ROXY/MOM LALONDE, BUT THAT’S A RANT FOR A DIFFERENT DAY.
TLDR: MOM LALONDE IS VERY NUANCED (LIKE MOST CHARACTERS IN HOMESTUCK) AND I WISHED PEOPLE WOULD TALK ABOUT THE SPECIFIC TYPE OF ABUSE THAT ROSE GOES THROUGH MORE.
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