Themes and message

Attitudes towards disability 

The main theme in the short story “The Mother of the Child in Question” by Doris Lessing is intellectual disability and people’s attitudes towards this issue.

The medical report labels Shireen as “subnormal” (p. 155, l. 5). Medical professionals are uncertain of how they might help her, but as their job requires them to do something, they issue a vague recommendation: “The child in question would possibly benefit to a limited extent from special tuition.” (p. 153, ll. 15-16)

The social worker, Stephen Bentley, then attempts to enforce this recommendation, regarding her situation with detachment at first: “the school would be good for Shireen. Well, within limits.” (p. 153, ll. 12-14). However, at the end of the story, he reveals his emotional investment in Shireen’s case, as he realizes the extent of Mrs Khan’s unconditional love for her daughter. Having realized the special school would not be better for Shireen’s condition than the warm environment in her household, he po...