The Dead Mother
by W. R. S. Ralston
The Dead Mother THE DEAD MOTHER.[24] In a certain village there lived a husband and wife--lived happily, lovingly, peaceably. All their neighbors envied them; the sight of them gave pleasure to honest folks. Well, the mistress bore a son, but directly after it was born she died. The poor moujik moaned and wept. Above all he was in despair about the babe. How was he to nourish it now? how to bring it up without its mother? He did what was best, and hired an old woman to look after it. Only here was a wonder! all day long the babe would take no food, and did nothing but cry; there was no soothing it anyhow. But during (a great part of) the night one could fancy it wasn't there at all, so silently and peacefully did it sleep. "What's the meaning of this?" thinks the old woman; "suppose I keep awake to-night; may be I shall find out." Well, just at midnight she heard some one quietly open the door and go up to the cradle. The babe became still, just as if it was being suckled. The next night the same thing took place, and the third night, too. Then she told the moujik about it. He called his kinsfolk together, and held counsel with them. They determined on this; to keep awake on a certain night, and to spy out who it was that came to suckle the babe. So at eventide they all lay down on the floor, and beside them they set a lighted taper hidden in an earthen pot. At midnight the cottage door opened. Some one stepped up to the cradle. The babe became still. At that moment one of the kinsfolk suddenly brought out the light. They looked, and saw the dead mother, in the very same clothes in which she had been buried, on her knees besides the cradle, over which she bent as she suckled the babe at her dead breast. The moment the light shone in the cottage she stood up, gazed sadly on her little one, and then went out of the room without a sound, not saying a word to anyone. All those who saw her stood for a time terror-struck; and then they found the babe was dead.[25] The second story will serve as an illustration of one of the Russian customs with respect to the dead, and also of the ideas about witchcraft, still prevalent in Russia. We may create for it the title of--
Moral of the Story
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Characters
The Dead Mother ◆ supporting
Her appearance is not explicitly detailed beyond being in her burial clothes, implying a pale or ethereal quality.
Attire: The very same clothes in which she had been buried, suggesting grave clothes or a shroud.
Maternal, devoted, sorrowful, silent.
The Moujik ★ protagonist
Not explicitly described.
Attire: Implied to be simple peasant attire typical of a Russian moujik (farmer/peasant).
Grieving, despairing, concerned, proactive (in seeking counsel).
The Old Woman ◆ supporting
Not explicitly described.
Attire: Implied to be simple peasant attire typical of an elderly Russian woman.
Observant, curious, responsible, cautious.
The Babe ○ minor
An infant, described as crying constantly during the day but sleeping peacefully at night.
Attire: Swaddling clothes or simple infant garments.
Fussy (during the day), peaceful (at night).
Locations
The Cottage
A humble dwelling in a village, where a family once lived happily. It becomes the setting for mysterious nightly occurrences after the mother's death.
Mood: eerie, mysterious, sorrowful, later terror-struck
The dead mother secretly visits her baby, and is later discovered by the family.
Story DNA
Moral
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Plot Summary
A happily married couple has a child, but the mother dies. The newborn baby cries all day but is mysteriously quiet at night. An old woman hired to care for the baby discovers that a spectral figure feeds it at midnight. The father and his kinsfolk conduct a vigil, revealing the dead mother, still in her burial clothes, suckling the infant. After being exposed, she vanishes, and the baby is found dead, leaving the witnesses in terror.
Themes
Emotional Arc
peace to sorrow to terror
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story is presented as an illustration of Russian customs and beliefs about witchcraft and the dead, prevalent at the time of Ralston's collection (19th century).
Plot Beats (12)
- A happy couple lives in a village; the wife gives birth to a son but dies immediately after.
- The widower mourns, especially for the helpless infant, and hires an old woman to care for it.
- The baby cries all day and refuses food, but sleeps silently and peacefully all night.
- The old woman, puzzled, decides to stay awake one night to investigate.
- At midnight, the old woman hears someone enter and approach the cradle, and the baby becomes quiet as if being fed.
- This pattern repeats for two more nights.
- The old woman tells the father about the mysterious nightly visitor.
- The father gathers his kinsfolk, and they plan to hide and reveal a light at midnight to identify the visitor.
- At midnight, the cottage door opens, and someone approaches the cradle, silencing the baby.
- A kinsman reveals a hidden light, illuminating the dead mother, in her burial clothes, on her knees suckling the baby.
- The dead mother looks sadly at her child and silently leaves the room.
- The witnesses are terror-struck, and then discover the baby has died.
