Academic Journal 13 - Some Mothers Son

Some Mothers Son was an excellent and moving film, and I was especially struck by the final exchange between Kathleen Quigley and Annie Higgins. After Kathleen tells Annie that she signed the form to remove her son from the hunger strike, Annie (whose son had just died as a result of the strike) responded that she was glad Kathleen had that option, and that someone had to do it. Annie had been a staunch supporter of the IRA’s actions and of the strike itself up to that point, and I had expected her to be angry and accuse Kathleen of being a traitor, or perhaps the film to end with Kathleen’s car exploding when she next started it, or something similar. Annie’s response was a surprise to me, and I’m still not 100% sure what she meant by it.
At first I thought it might be a little sarcastic. We know that Annie lost a child to the British forces, fueling her IRA sympathies and support of her son as a member, so I understand why she felt that she had no choice but to let her son continue on his strike. Telling Kathleen that she was glad she had the option of ending it could have been a dig at her for subverting the cause, or a reminder that Kathleen hadn’t experienced loss the way Annie had. But then why would Annie say that someone had to end it? The IRA position was that Thatcher had to give in to their demands and end the strike, so I understand the wording, but why would Annie be so accepting of Kathleen’s decision?
What I’ve come to believe is that Annie is acknowledging a deeper strength in Kathleen than she herself possesses. It takes great strength and courage to stand up for what you believe, and arguably even greater courage to starve yourself to death for your beliefs. It seems on the surface that Annie had the greater strength to stand by and let her son kill himself, but in fact I think it was the easier road. By allowing her son’s strike to continue Annie can absolve herself of responsibility by blaming Thatcher; after years of supporting IRA activities, standing up and ending the strike would not only be counterintuitive, but potentially dangerous if the IRA decided that she was a traitor to the cause. Kathleen’s decision to take her son off the strike was not a sign of weakness or giving in to Thatcher, but in fact a standing up to the insanity of the standoff and the waste of life. How could anyone not envy that sort of strength?