Why the mother killed her son

In Maxim Gorky's "The Mother of a Traitor", the mother, Monna Marianna, killed her son because he had betrayed his native city and was leading its enemies against it.

Reasons

1. Treason. Her son had joined the enemy and was ready to destroy the city and kill its people. She could not accept that her son was the cause of such suffering.
2. Duty to the people. She believed that the safety of the whole city and the lives of many families were more important than the life of one man, even her son.
3. Sense of responsibility. As his mother she felt answerable for what he had become and for the harm he would do. She felt she must put right what she had helped to create.
4. No other way. He was the leader of the enemy force, and she did not think that pleas or arguments could stop him. Only his death would end the attack.
5. Honour and dignity. The townspeople scorned her as "the mother of a traitor". By killing him she freed herself and her family name from the disgrace of betrayal.
6. Love turned to justice. Her act was not hatred; it was a painful sacrifice. She loved him, but she loved her country and her people more.

Her action shows the theme of the story: devotion to one's country and moral duty may require the hardest sacrifice, even of one's own child.