Inoculation: A Mother's Dilemma

Immunity—a tantalizing idea filled with ironies and unfulfilled promises. The prospect of the sheer power behind immunity is enough to drive any reasonable person insane with curiosity, however with the immense benefits comes a fatal flaw. Eula Biss, a new mother, begins her novel with enrapturing tales and gossip from worried mothers surrounding what seems too good to be true: inoculation. Many worry this promising immunity will leave their child suffering from its unknown fatal flaw and refuse to risk subjecting their child to vaccinations, however others still argue any chance at immunity is worthwhile. Eula Biss subjects her readers to fantasies and neighborhood gossip in order to convey the magnitude of a mother’s decision to inoculate her child.

                The most powerful comparison to represent a mother’s fear stems from the mythological tale of Achilles. Biss draws upon a mother’s fear and determination to provide for her child the best life she can in order to demonstrate the emotional significance behind blindly trusting recommendations to subject her child to a “magical serum” promising immunity. Everyone knows the time-old tale of Achilles, and how his immunity came with a fatal flaw that eventually cost him his life. However, Biss chooses to focus on the mother’s fears and motivations more so than the eventual outcome to explain why she may be motivated to opt for risky investments—such as vaccinations in this case. A mother will do everything in her power to prevent fate from overpowering work ethic; that being said, like Achilles’ mother dunked him in the River Styx, mothers across the globe take the same plunge and inoculate their children.

                Even more, Eula Biss supplies countless gossip and real worries from her neighbors thus proving how hesitant and divided mothers were on these new inoculations. They must begin to weigh the positives and the negatives if they wish to fully understand what benefits and consequences come with this promised “immunity.” So many mothers experienced the horrific side effects of inoculation, and without seeing the long-term outcome, it is difficult to subject their child to future inoculations since the risk did not pay off. How were they to know if the vaccinations truly provided immunity rather than cause physical distress to their children as mentioned? While scientific research has supported inoculation as more studies have surfaced with proven immunity and little consequences, mothers pioneering and subjecting their children were faced with a dark tunnel that may or may not have a light at the end of it.

                Through her descriptive tales and effective comparisons, Biss conveys to the general public the emotional turmoil mothers went through before diving into inoculation. Vaccinations were said to be beneficial, but how could they trust this serum promising something too good to be true while living with the terrible side effects? Inoculation now appears to be an immediate decision—something tried and proven to offer immunity with little side effects—however mothers still worry for their young and still are weary towards anything promising such a tantalizing offer. They must question whether they really can trust the research now and are willing to offer their child armor against fate, or decide that the potential of a fatal flaw outweighs any benefits.