The relationship between mother and child in Ian Campbell’s The Crescent is probably as heart wrenching to digest now as it was to live through, back in the hard times of Dundee.
In 1896, Mary-Ann’s determination to give birth to her baby in the Dundee Royal Infirmary instead of her cold, damp tenement home expressed her vision of a better life; a modern approach to becoming a mother and giving her baby the best possible chance at life.
But was she reaching above her class, deceiving her husband and living in an unrealistic dream world? Mary-Ann knew that giving birth in the same poverty-stricken conditions that her family had before her would pave the way for more of the same: the reality of poverty in industrial Scotland and no way out.
“...We canna bring up a bairn in this stinking place. We could live here as a couple for a year or two but we couldn't keep a bairn in a single end with the money we have to live on! He argued.
There are glimpses of Mary-Ann’s conscience throughout the true story. She was torn between reality and alcohol-induced escapism. Like an anchor and chain pulling her down, time and time again she almost made it above water.
“She realised that Billy was very different to her husband in that he was listening to everything she said. Gradually, she began to relax and felt at ease again and then realised that she liked him very much.”
As Mary-Ann struggled through heartbreak and loneliness throughout her life, it was evident that she only had herself and her love for Old Tom’s gin to blame. In the end, she was painfully distracted from what really mattered; family, love and hope.
“She was going out of her mind again with depression and out of control. Like a house of cards, Mary-Ann’s home life was collapsing again”
Find out what happened to Mary-Ann by reading the newest instalment - The End of The Crescent.
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