--- title: "The Mother of a Traitor: Monna Marinna" subject: "Communication English" chapter: 2 key: "semester_5/communication_english:monna-marinna-ideal-citizen-mother" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/monna-marinna-ideal-citizen-mother site: BCT Engineering --- # The Mother of a Traitor: Monna Marinna Communication English · Chapter 2: Extensive Reading - Asked in: 2074 Chaitra, 5 marks; 2071 Shrawan, 5 marks (asked 2 times) - Video: [Mother Of a Traitor||Story||Communication English ||IOE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu-JfMC4vSc) — Maheshwar Official - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/monna-marinna-ideal-citizen-mother - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_5/communication_english/chapter-2 ## Question How did Monna Marianna carry out her responsibilities as an ideal citizen and as an ideal mother? [The Mother of a Traitor] ## Short answer Monna Marianna as a citizen sacrificed her traitor son to save her city, stabbing him while he slept. As a mother she accepted responsibility for his crime and, saying she remained with her son, killed herself with the same knife, joining citizenship and motherhood through moral courage. ## Answer In Maxim Gorky's story "The Mother of a Traitor", Monna Marianna is shown as a woman who is loyal both to her son and to her city. When these duties conflict, she first fulfils her duty to the city and then her duty as a mother, and so shows the highest qualities of both. #### As an ideal citizen - She put the safety of the people above her family ties. Her son had become a traitor and was leading the enemy against his native city, and she was ready to sacrifice her only son so that the city and its people might be saved. - She faced the hostility and suspicion of the townspeople, who called her the mother of a traitor, with courage and dignity. She did not hide or flee. - At great personal risk she left the city and went to the enemy camp to meet her son. - While he slept with his head on her lap, she stabbed him to death, removing the danger to the city. As she said, "As a citizen I have done for my country all I could." - She acted without seeking praise or reward. #### As an ideal mother - She loved her son and had brought him up with care and hope. - She felt his betrayal as her own sorrow and shame. She did not excuse or defend his crime out of blind love. - She believed a mother is responsible for what her son becomes, so she felt that she herself must stop him. - She did not abandon him even in death. Saying "as a mother I remain with my son", she killed herself with the same knife. Her act came not from hatred but from a mother's grief and love. Her action shows that love for one's country may call for a painful sacrifice. In Monna Marianna, motherhood and citizenship are joined by moral courage. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. When her duties as mother and citizen conflicted, what did Monna Marianna choose? A. Her duty to the city, while remaining a loving mother B. Her son, because a mother's love comes first C. To flee the city with her son D. To stay neutral and avoid acting Answer: A. She put the city's safety above family ties, yet her act came from grief and love, not hatred. (Key point: Conflict of duties) 2. How did she see a good mother's role when her son became a traitor? A. She must defend her son whatever he does B. She must leave his punishment to the enemy C. She shapes her son's character, so she felt responsible for correcting him D. She should forgive him because he is her only child Answer: C. She did not excuse his crime out of blind love; she felt answerable for what he had become. (Key point: Mother's view of responsibility) 3. How did she respond to the hostility of the townspeople who called her the mother of a traitor? A. With courage and dignity, without hiding or fleeing B. By hiding in her house C. By blaming the townspeople D. By asking the city to pardon her son Answer: A. As an ideal citizen she faced suspicion bravely, went to meet the enemy at personal risk and sought no praise. (Key point: Citizen's courage) ## Related in Communication English - [Why the mother killed her son](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Awhy-mother-kill-her-son) — Communication English, chapter 2, asked 2× - [The Mother of a Traitor: "Is it she?"](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Ais-it-she-mother-of-traitor) — Communication English, chapter 2 - [Edit text: Monna Marianna](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Aedit-text-aboard-again-monna-marianna) — Communication English, chapter 3 - [The Mother of a Traitor: mother's dilemma](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Amother-of-a-traitor-dilemma) — Communication English, chapter 2, asked 2× - [Lessons from The Mother of a Traitor](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Alessons-from-mother-of-a-traitor) — Communication English, chapter 2 - [Summary of The Mother of a Traitor](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Asummary-mother-of-a-traitor) — Communication English, chapter 2