What was the point of Mrs Craig's mother's illness? To show how her daughter could be ill as well? To show how she would leave her mother because of her suspicions? Or to show how hard a life she had? What do you all think?
"At the end of life, we will be judged by love" ST John of the Cross
I think it was so that:
1. She could talk to the administrator about how she blames her mom's illness on her father abandoning them. This was an important point since it led to the big speech at the end of the movie...
2. Good set up so she could come home and see how her husband lived the minute she left the house.
I believe the point of the mother's illness was to bring out the history and proable cause of Harriet obssessive compulsive disorder and fear of abandonments. All these issues come out towards the end of the film in the great monologue Joan has about hating her father because of what he did to her mother. Also, it's one point in the film where we see Harriet in a sympathetic mood trying to care for her mother. She wasn't going to let happen to her what happened to her mother, God Forbid - these scenes try to explain the psychological origin of Harriet's neurosis. Without them we don't understand where this psychotic behaviour stems from. People like Harriet are driven unconciously and have very little ability to self reflect about their problems.
shareMINOR SPOILERS, I GUESS.
I think that this minor subplot was a poor way to begin the film. I think the speculations are interesting, but I don't think there's ANY real explanation for why Harriet Craig acts the way she does -- or how she gets away with things.
The very idea that she would go to her husband's boss and tell lies is horrifying -- and she actually thought she could get away with it??? And that she could fire the maid and think her husband wouldn't find out what happened? And that she could manipulate her young relative and that she wouldn't find out the truth? Harriet Craig is some kind of nutcase. But she's not a real character.