Who Is The Dominant Figure In The Babadook Motherhood

“If it’s in a word, or it’s in a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook…” The Babadook is a non-traditional horror movie that challenges conventional notions of motherhood. The Babadook protests the notion that single mothers are incapable of raising children alone, and that there always needs to be a male dominant figure present for a family to be considered complete. In American society the conventional notion of motherhood is perpetuated by the image of a White, middle-class heterosexual couple with children (Barrie 3). In this family model the father acts as the dominant figure in the marriage, while the mother is tasked with child rearing and submitting to the male’s desires (Devor 673-674). Although the roles of the father and mother

are becoming blurred, the majority in every culture still believes in the classic model. It is not until Amelia, the protagonist, regains control of her life that she is able to repel the monster. The Babadook objects the need for a traditional dominant male figure for a stable family. In this movie male dominance is literally viewed as evil since the Babadook takes the form of Amelia’s deceased husband. Amelia, in a moment of weakness, submits to the ideology of male dominance; however, she eventually breaks free from those constraints and emerges as a resilient mother. The constraints that bind Amelia to a past when a female’s roles in a family was to be submissive to the male and to nurture the child.
One such constraint that binds Amelia to conventional roles is her duty as a mother.

Samuel is not only an example of the classic distraught child characteristic of a troubled family, but also is a reflection of Amelia’s true desire. Samuel acts as the traditional dominant male figure in the relationship, because there is no dominant figure to take control. Samuel is constantly seeking attention which represents the archaic idea that woman needs to abide to the needs of a man. Amelia is frightened by these constraints as they begin to control her life. Samuel’s destructive behavior makes it increasingly difficult for Amelia to have a normal life. Instead she sacrifices everything to take care of Samuel, even going as far as to alienating herself from family and friends. When Samuel is kicked out of school for almost injuring another child, “A dart could have ended up in the eye of a child, or worse … Samuel will be separated from other children,” Amelia begins to alienate herself from others (Babadook). These chains that bind Amelia to the social norms of motherhood makes Amelia feel as if she has no control of her life. Samuel destructive behavior can be linked to Amelia as if he is a negative image of herself that she wants to control, but cannot, which is further exemplified by Samuel’s mannerisms. As the movie progresses, Amelia and Samuel’s roles become reversed as Amelia is able to defeat the Babadook and regain control of her life, while Samuel reverts to the ideal

conventional child. Amelia develops into a strong and confident mother overcoming the horrors that plagued her since her husband's death. She becomes someone who is able to provide for and support Samuel through her own strength.
Equally important to The Babadook’s portrayal of motherhood, is its portrayal of male dominance. Male dominance is literally viewed as a symbol of evil in the possession scene. In this scene, Amelia walks down into the basement where she stores all of her husband's possessions and sees the Babadook in the form of her deceased husband Oscar. The broken down basement signifies Amelia’s breaking mentality. The cracked walls and peeled paint represent years of neglect as she refuses to accept the death of her husband. She embraces the evil and for a second feels at peace, but even that is an illusion as Oscar says, “You just have to bring me the boy” (The Babadook). Amelia backs up and the scene becomes black with the shadowy figure of Oscar dominating the scene. The color black is often associated with power and control. The significance of Oscar dominating the scene alludes to the fact that even in death, he retains all the control in the relationship. Amelia flees from the basement, but his influence is so strong that the whole house is shrouded in darkness. Amelia’s embrace of the Babadook represents the idea of Amelia submitting to male dominance and giving up control as she does not want to diminish and torture herself anymore. This is also the beginning of Amelia’s metamorphosis as she places all of her blame and frustration onto her child. Once again the Babadook opens its arm for Amelia to embrace the social norm; however, she refuses. Amelia becomes the strong and confident mother who does not need a male dominant figure’s support.
In spite of defeating the Babadook, Amelia cannot completely let her darkness go.

The Babadook is a metaphor for life’s real horrors: depression, constraint, and loneliness (Solomon 370). Amelia’s inability to completely dismiss the Babadook is a representation of how grief cannot be completely dispelled, but rather accepted. In the ending scene we see a change between Amelia and Samuel. Samuel tells the social workers that this is the first time that they celebrated his birthday on the actual day because Oscar died taking Amelia to the hospital to have Samuel. This signifies Amelia’s acceptance of the death of her husband as she is no longer hiding from it. The social workers are uneased by this anecdote, but for the first time, Amelia calmly states that Samuel is just like his father, always speaking his mind. Samuel has become much more innocent and well behaved, and his mother has become more accepting. Amelia no longer fears the constraints of motherhood, but rather she embraces them because she is now strong enough to handle them. The scene continues to the garden where a black rose is seen. In an article titled, “Roses for Love: The Meanings of Black Roses,” the black rose symbolizes not only death and loathing, but also rejuvenation and rebirth (The meaning of Black Roses). The rose is reflective of Amelia’s acceptance of her husband’s death and her new happier life. Amelia once again visits the basement, and it is revealed that she has been keeping the Babadook

there. This is another sign of how one cannot be rid of their troubles completely. The basement is still drenched in the color black, but now there is a window letting in some light. The darkness still represents the control the Babadook has in her life, but now the small ray of light cuts through the darkness and presents her with hope. The Babadook attempts to attack her once again; however, she manages to calm it and it retreats back into the darkness. This represents her control over her inner darkness as the Babadook’s darkness only encompasses a small corner of the basement now.
In conclusion, The Babadook challenges the notion of the ideal family model. The Babadook presents the notion that single mothers are capable of raising children by themselves. Amelia is a representation of this as she develops from bottling her feelings, to expressing them in anger, and finally accepting and fighting against them to achieve the happiness she always wanted. The black rose is reflective of the ordeals that Amelia has had to endure, but it is also reflective of the hopeful beginnings that now surrounds her. She has cast off the chains of her husband’s memory that bound her to the social norms of motherhood and has been reborn as a resilient mother that Samuel so desperately needs.