Challenging the Narcissistic Mother: About narcissistic mothers and their daughters in the stories

This article examines the complex relationships between daughters and their narcissistic mothers in two short stories by Savyon Liebrecht: "Apples from the Desert" (1986) and "Crying on Mother's Shoulder" (2006). These stories adopt a model different from the familiar characterization of the mother as benevolent, who treats her children with devotion, unconditional love, and empowerment while sacrificing her own needs. The analysis of Liebrecht's stories through the psychological theory of maternal narcissism confirms the claim that her characters suffer from narcissistic personality disorder. Using a dramatic design, Liebrecht reveals the psychological dynamics that take place in the stories and depicts a process of painful disillusionment, rebellion and defiance in the daughters' attempts to establish independent adult lives.