Being an expectant parent is an unnerving task. Along with the anxiety of the new responsibility there is also endless worries about the health of the baby. Now imagine how your fear would be amplified if you were expecting a baby in the wake of a nuclear war. When many of the babies being born have abnormalities due to the nuclear fallout.
             These are the fears realized by the main character, Margaret, in the short story "That Only a Mother". The story is told in the near future following the dropping of atomic bombs in Japan. Hank, Margaret's husband, is off fighting the war, which makes the situation even more difficult because these are concerns that she must face while being alone. However, Margaret is strong willed and throughout the story she continues to convince herself that her baby will be fine. Upon the arrival of the baby, Margaret, whether out of pure love for her child or blind denial, sees nothing wrong with her new child. In fact in the coming months she begins to see her child as somewhat of a prodigy, talking and singing by the age of seven months. When Hank finally arrives home from the war he is overwhelmed with the happiness of his new daughter but soon his worst fears are realized. Although Margaret was not willing to deal with reality, their baby had no limbs.
             The story is told from the third person point of view, which lends to giving hints about the main character Margaret. The author uses foreshadowing in the character development of Margaret. The author writes that Margaret is becoming "increasingly clumsy" due to her "bulkiness". She is forced to wear clothing that is the "only comfortable thing to wear during the last few months." From these and other clues I learned that Margaret is a pregnant woman. In the first paragraph the author lets the reader know that Margaret's husband is not with her by writing that Margar
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