The Idea of a Mother’s Love, and Its Effect on Safety in Tony Earley’s Place of Safety

In Tony Earley’s “Place of Safety,” Rochelle is distraught believing that she is “the worst mother in the world” (7) because she left her babies in the middle of a tornado to go get milk. Tina and Tania, who end up surviving, are the most important people in Rochelle’s life after being left in a town with no money and no family by their father. Though Rochelle is an incredible mother, she cannot keep her children safe from the world.  Love is a powerful force, and a mother’s version of love is extremely strong, but love cannot keep people safe from harm, it can only provide comfort. 

Rochelle’s patience and carefree nature are two ways Rochelle shows her love for her daughter’s, though neither traits can stop the girls from injury. When Dr. Koppelman arrives at the house to support Rochelle, she is horrified about her appearance. She looks down and remembers “her toenails were painted two different colors because the girls couldn’t agree” (8) on one color. Rochelle knows that her girls are both very opinionated, whether it is about toenail color or where to hide in the tornado, and wants to please them both. Rochelle will sacrifice her looks and body parts to make sure both her kids get to express themselves how they would like. The scene also shows how Rochelle validates Tina and Tania’s  creativity and individual opinions, which, as a parent, is something so important in making children feel loved. Though acts like these are one of the reasons that Tina and Tania both love their mother and feel comfortable with her, this nail polish and comfort cannot save them from a tornado. Comfort is something that allows for the facade of safety, and Rochelle relies on it to make her girls happy. By combining the ideas of love and comfort with her daughter's safety, Rochelle interprets being there for them makes her feel as though she is fulfilling her duties as a mother. Rochelle is such a good mom to her girls, but being able to keep kids safe is one of the biggest challenges for parents as the world is a place of uncertainty. 

Rochelle’s love for her children also shines through her acts of service for them. Even in the middle of a “wailing” (1) storm, she is concerned about her daughter's happiness. She knows both her girls will want milk when they wake up but know “they only had enough for one cup” (1). By sacrificing her own safety to try and make sure her daughters were fed and content, readers can see the love that Rochelle has for her girls. Rochelle also puts her daughters needs before which can be seen when she leaves them to go to the store. Knowing that sleep is essential to both Tina and Tania's happiness, Rochelle allows them to keep “sleeping so peacefully” (1). Children’s health and also their happiness is greatly affected by the amount of sleep they get, so Rochelle’s decision to brave the storm and leave her girls was one made consciously and from love. The acts of service that Rochelle is able to do for Tina and Tania help her grapple with the idea that she cannot keep her daughters safe as she feels like she is giving them everything she can, while also still being human.

The love that Rochelle has for her daughter is also shown in her inability to leave her daughters until the last second. Knowing that hearing her voice from above the house is giving her daughters a false sense of safety, Rochelle understands the impact she has on the critical situation playing out. She continues speaking calmly to her babies and stays as close to them as possible, even when the house may not be the best place for her. Around the house that had “collapsed into the basement” (12), there were “barricades” (15) to protect people from the damage. Rochelle, however, is standing in front of these barricades without the slightest concern for her own safety, as her daughter’s lives are more important than hers could ever be. Rochelle stays in this hazardous environment until she physically “have [has]” (17) to move. Even then, Rochelle promises her daughters she is “not leaving you, [the girls] okay?” (17). The word “okay” confirms how hard leaving her daughters, even for a second, is for Rochelle because she truly loves them with such a passion and only wants them to be safe. However, Rochelle knows subconsciously that she cannot climb into the house and stabilize the building. As a mother, she can try and make her daughters comfortable by feeding into the illusion of safety but at the end of the day, she cannot save Tina or Tania.

Rochelle’s love for her children can make her feel as though she needs to keep them safe and away from all harm, but realistically this is impossible, which can be seen through both Tania’s death and the tornado itself. Though Rochelle can give her girls a band-aid or kiss a injury better, she cannot fix the big problems. Whether Rochelle is down the street buying milk or next to her daughters, she cannot prevent a tornado. Rochelle can give her daughters everything she can, “two houses” (13), unconditionally love, even “two gallons of milk in the fridge” (14), but she cannot keep Tania from dying in the “watercraft” (17) accident. Mothers can love their children more than anything, but even this extreme affection is no match for the world. There is no one in all of humankind who can see the future, allowing for no guarantee of safety. Though love can be a shield of comfort in a tumultuous world, it fails to keep all the risk away. In Tony Earley’s “Place of Safety”, Rochelle is nowhere near “the worst mother in the world” (7), but instead is a mother who embodies the word protector as she refuses to not be there for her daughters, even if it means sacrificing her own personal safety.