One Hand Clapping: The Loneliness of Motherhood in Lucia Berlin’s “Tiger Bites”

The issue of safe and legal abortions is and has been highly relevant for generations of women. By describing acts that have previously been carried out in secret, literary fiction makes these experiences visible, meanwhile exposing the circular nature of women’s history. In this chapter, intergenerational experiences of motherhood are examined in Lucia Berlin’s short story “Tiger Bites,” which tells the story of a young mother seeking abortion in Mexico. In Berlin’s representation of the abortion clinic, feelings of isolation and shame are foregrounded, as well as the actual risks to the health of the women and girls involved. The portrayal of the patients and staff at the clinic highlights aspects such as class, the crossings of bodily and national borders, and agency. This chapter argues that family relationships can create feelings of isolation as well as community, and that it is only through her own choice that the protagonist can realize her agency in motherhood. The analysis ultimately argues that Berlin’s story has its own intergenerational relevance, and speaks to the present as well as to its time of initial publication.