But now society, her husband, her mother, and her own pride hold her responsible for this little foreign life as if it were her own composition: the husband in particular is irritated by the child's faults just as he is by a spoiled dinner or his wife's improper behavior; his abstract demands often weigh heavily on the mother's relation to the child; an independent woman thanks to her solitude, her carefree state, or her authority in the household will be much more serene than those carrying the weight ofdominating demands in making her child obey.