The Politics of Art & Authenticity

How can she effectively raise her children when she still exemplifies childish characteristics herself? This is a major question that Andrea Arnold raises in her short film, WASP. Zoe, a struggling single mother of four, seems to be in her early twenties, an age that is characterized by partying and nights on the town which customarily aren’t things that aren’t associated with being a parent. Zoe sees an old friend on the street and agrees to meet him that evening for a drink at the pub and in doing so neglects the role of responsible parent for the evening. In this way we are given the

opportunity to see how unprepared Zoe is to care for these children through her decision-making. Poor decision-making skills are also something that is associated with the late teens and early twenties because we simply lack the experience to understand the repercussions and act on what psychologists call the “pleasure principle.” Although proving to be a poor mother at times, there are brief glimmers of hope for these children because one can see Zoe’s intense love and for them through her fight with the other mother and her fear of losing them to social services which is why I believe Arnold creates a positive ending. Zoe is a poor mother now but a good, loving person at heart; qualities that every good mother possesses.