How would the character of Despereaux's mother best be described?

Despereaux Tilling's parents represent the two primary ways that parents can betray their children, first with physical harm and secondly with neglect.

Despereaux's father, Lester, informs the Mouse Council of his un-mouse-like actions. Lester knows that "ratting out" his son will likely result in Despereaux's death, and yet he still chooses to betray him. This is an obvious form of betrayal, or "perfidy" as the book frequently refers to it. The father intentionally does something...

Despereaux Tilling's parents represent the two primary ways that parents can betray their children, first with physical harm and secondly with neglect.

Despereaux's father, Lester, informs the Mouse Council of his un-mouse-like actions. Lester knows that "ratting out" his son will likely result in Despereaux's death, and yet he still chooses to betray him. This is an obvious form of betrayal, or "perfidy" as the book frequently refers to it. The father intentionally does something that will most likely bring physical harm to his son. This is most easily characterized as a form of physical abuse.

Despereaux's mother, however, engages in a different form of abuse that is nearly as painful to receive. The mother, Antoinette, faints when hearing that he is doomed to death. She doesn't make an impassioned speech on his behalf. She doesn't plead and beg relentlessly for Despereaux's life. And, as the book remarks, she doesn't offer her life in exchange, which is the sort of dramatic, loving gesture that one would expect of a mother, particularly one as emotional as Antoinette. Indeed, if she was a good mother she would have done more than faint and say "adieu" to her son as he was led to his death.

This is Antoinette's betrayal. She doesn't cause her child any harm or danger, but she does nothing at all to protect him. Moments after Despereaux is born in chapter one, Antionette names him "for all the sadness, for the many despairs in this place." Never in the book does Despereaux's mother ever show genuine, selfless affection for her son, nor does she ever seem to truly care whether he lives or dies.

Antionette does care, however, for her looks. When he is born, Antionette believes that Despereaux will die like the rest of her children from the same litter. Instead of cherishing every last moment with her newly born baby, she chooses to focus on her looks. She even declares that her mice babies are "hard on my beauty. They ruin, for me, my looks. This is the last one. No more."

Quite simply, Antionette is a shallow, vain mouse who possesses very little, if any, love for her children. While Lester eventually feels remorse for his actions against his son and begs forgiveness, Antionette never shows any indication of regret or shame for doing nothing to save her child.