MeganRitter

By every measurable standard Mommy's life would probably be better of Tateh WERE to accidentally kill himself. Depsite the success of the store she doesn't have any too much in the way of material comfort. Meanwhile, all the misery in her life - the spiritual poverty of being oppressed and friendless - can be traced back to her father. So why doesn't she want to lose him? My first thought was, perhaps, a primitive form of Stockholm Syndrome. However, my understanding of Stockholm Syndrome is that those afflicted with it are blind to the faults of their captors.

For tose unfamiliar with the term, Stockholm Syndrome is the term applied to the irrational loyalty that a hostage may feel for a captor. I researched it on Wikipedia, and in all the cases cited, the victim was unable to mentally resist the camptor. Such famous cases cited include that of millionaire Patty Hearst, kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, who ended up aiding and abetting the group in their illegal activities without trying to resist, and Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year-old girl who made headlines several years ago for being kidnapped, and despite physical and sexual abuse from her captors lived with them for many months without needing to be restrained. Mommy's situation, however, is different. Unlike those suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, Mommy is clearly afraid of her captor - er, father. She clearly resists him mentally even if she is trapped in her home. So why does she feel this loyalty to him? it is so utterly illogical. Why does she feel loyalty to someone who has done nothing to inspire it?