A mother treats her daughter as a double and feels betrayed by her separateness.

Evidence

The mother does not greet a daughter as a member of the chosen caste: she seeks a double in her. She projects onto her all the ambiguity of her relationship with her self; and when the alterity of this alter ego affirms itself, she feels betrayed. The conflicts we have discussed become all the more intensified between mother and daughter. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1520

Categorization

• XREF: The double/alter ego mechanism resonates with “A Visit From the Goon Squad” and with the implicit ‘woman as Other’ frame from the book’s introduction. — connects to: Fullness of the mother’s gaze, not biology itself, makes the girl’s body feel cursed — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 913; An unfulfilled mother displaces her frustrated desires onto her child as compensation. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1515; A mother’s rejection of a child can disguise self-contempt projected outward. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1525 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Mothers can treat their own daughters as rivals to be defeated #expands (0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1728