Another theme developed in this book is jealousy. When Julia is grown up, her mother tells her that she both loved her as a mother yet hated her because she was jealous of Julia. She says " she had always hated me, as well as loving me of course" (53). She says " I hated you because you're father stopped sleeping with me when you were born, and then I hated you because he had his mistress and would stay out all night and I was stuck at home. I hated you because he was kind to you even when he was being horrible to me... and I hated you because you went on seeing him" (53-54)
Julia's mother only loved Julia because she was her offspring. She could think of no reason other than that to love Julia. For Rosalie, Julia brought more unhappiness than she did happiness. The birth of Julia was the figurative end of Rosalie's life.
Blackburn, Julia. The Three of Us. New York: Random House, 2008.
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I am reading this same book! It seemed to me that part of the reason for Rosalie's jealousy was her need for attention. Her daughter took the spotlight away from her causing her to resent her daughter. Her mother was also really did not care for her, possibly being a reason for her lack of willingness to provide for her own daughter.
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