Obsession and Manipulation in The Surrogate Mother

Thematic Claim: Obsessive Fixation as the Engine of Manipulation

In The Surrogate Mother, Freida McFadden presents a chilling portrayal of how unchecked obsession fuels a web of calculated manipulation. Monica Johnson’s all-consuming fixation on Sam Adler drives her to systematically dismantle Abby’s life, using every tool at her disposal—psychological manipulation, drug-induced sabotage, and cold-blooded murder. The thriller elements of the novel arise directly from Monica’s ability to warp reality for those around her, turning Abby’s trusted relationships into weapons. By tracing Monica’s actions across the plot, we see that her genius-level intelligence, combined with severe borderline personality disorder, makes her a uniquely dangerous adversary. The narrative forces readers to question the boundaries of love, trust, and the lengths one will go to possess another person.

Early Manipulation: Planting the Seeds of Doubt

Monica’s manipulation begins long before she ever becomes the surrogate. From the outset, she positions herself as Abby’s devoted assistant, mirroring Abby’s younger self to gain intimacy and trust. Abby notes her assistant’s “open sort of face” that makes people confide in her. Monica leverages this facade to insinuate herself into Abby and Sam’s lives, even suggesting that she could carry a child for them—planting the idea that becomes her entry point.

Once chosen as the surrogate, Monica systematically isolates Abby. She manipulates Abby’s schedule, sending her to wrong appointment times for the OB/GYN, ensuring she misses key moments. More insidiously, Monica begins drugging Abby’s morning coffee, introducing methamphetamine into her system to create the appearance of a drug problem. This gaslighting makes Abby doubt her own sanity and provides Monica with leverage. When Sam discovers the drugs in Abby’s drawer (a planted piece of evidence), he confronts Abby, and Monica seizes the opportunity to position herself as the concerned friend. The therapist’s office scene—where Monica denies taking any medications when pregnant—shows her careful control of information. Abby’s mother’s warnings about not trusting Sam around “that woman” ironically prove prophetic, though Monica’s obsession predates the surrogate arrangement.

Middle Stage: Gaslighting and Framing the Murder

By the middle of the novel, Monica’s manipulation expands to include Sam himself. She exploits Abby’s growing insecurity to push the couple apart, feeding Sam’s suspicion about Abby’s alleged addiction. Monica plants a forged note and steals Abby’s keys to copy them, later confessing that she fabricated the handwriting perfectly. She manipulates Sam into believing that Abby needs inpatient rehabilitation, driving a wedge that leaves Sam increasingly reliant on Monica’s support.

Monica also orchestrates the murder of Denise Holt, Abby’s boss, and plants the murder weapon—a letter opener Sam had given Abby—to frame Abby. The letter opener becomes a symbol of twisted intimacy: a gift meant as a token of Sam’s love, repurposed as a tool to destroy Abby. Monica’s manipulation extends to hiring an actress to pose as Chelsea, the birth mother of the child the Adlers planned to adopt, and fabricating references from “Jean Johnson,” all to convince Abby that surrogacy is their only option. The theft of a signed baby blanket from a supply closet symbolizes how Monica steals even the symbols of Abby’s impending motherhood.

Climax: The Reveal and Confrontation

In the climactic encounter, Monica holds Sam and Abby at gunpoint in their apartment. She has already poisoned Abby with sleeping pills and bound her with duct tape. At this moment, Monica drops all pretense. She reveals she was a student in Sam’s class three years prior and became obsessed after he rejected her advances. Her obsession was so intense that she spent years engineering this moment: impregnating herself with Sam’s child (by sabotaging the intended surrogate, Janelle, and then inserting herself into the Adlers’ lives), framing Abby for Denise’s murder, and planning either Abby’s suicide or her own death in a struggle that would make Abby look guilty.

Monica’s plan shows remarkable calculation—she has a forged confession letter and a narrative ready about Abby pulling a gun out of jealousy. Yet her obsession also blinds her: she cannot see that Sam will never choose her. When Sam declares his love for Abby and lunges to protect her, Monica’s plan unravels. The ensuing struggle leaves Gertie (Monica’s accomplice) dead from Monica’s own gunshot, Monica herself severely wounded, and Sam shot in the arm. Monica is ultimately institutionalized in a permanent vegetative state. But the damage is done: Abby is haunted by the memory of her tormentor.

Epilogue: The Unshakable Legacy of Obsession

The epilogue, set a year later, is the novel’s most unsettling commentary on obsession. Monica remains alive but non-responsive. Abby and Sam are raising baby David (Monica’s biological son). When Monica’s stepmother gives Abby a childhood blanket that belonged to Monica, Abby intends to discard it. But David, upon seeing the blanket, becomes inconsolable until Abby gives it to him. He clutches the blanket, burying his face in the lingering scent of Monica’s perfume. This final image suggests that Monica’s obsession cannot be erased—it has woven itself into the fabric of the child’s life, and by extension, into Abby and Sam’s home. The blanket, once a comfort object, now becomes a symbol of Monica’s persistent, ghostly grip on the family.

Symbols of Obsession and Manipulation

McFadden employs several key symbols to deepen the theme. The pregnancy test represents the false hope Monica dangles before Abby—each negative test, or positive one that doesn’t belong to Abby, deepens the manipulation. The letter opener murky gift becomes the murder weapon, demonstrating how love can be twisted into a tool of harm. The baby’s heartbeat recording that Monica plays for Abby is a means of controlling the narrative of the pregnancy. And finally, the childhood blanket in the epilogue symbolizes that Monica’s presence will always linger.

Complexity and Contradiction

The theme of obsession and manipulation gains depth through ambiguity. Abby herself is not a perfect narrator—she has memory gaps and a strong motivation to see herself as a victim. Sam’s vulnerability to Monica’s charm is partly due to his own desire for a biological child, a desire that makes him complicit in a questionable arrangement. Monica, while clearly villainous, is also a product of a lifetime of mental illness and familial neglect. Her mother admits the family locked their doors at night when Monica was a teenager, after a classmate disappeared and was found dead. Monica’s condition—borderline personality disorder—is treated with nuance: she is dangerous, but also a victim of her own pathology. The novel does not offer easy judgment; instead, it leaves readers to consider whether obsession can ever be fully contained or forgiven. The final image of David clinging to Monica’s blanket suggests that some connections are ineradicable.

Study Questions

1. How does Monica use Abby’s insecurities about infertility and motherhood to manipulate her trust? Provide specific examples from the early chapters. Answer: Monica first offers sympathy after Abby’s failed adoption (Janelle backs out), positioning herself as caring. She then plants the idea of surrogacy, knowing Abby desperately wants a child. Later, she feigns concern about Abby’s “drug problem” to create distance between Abby and Sam, even suggesting Abby go to rehab.

2. In what ways does the letter opener symbolize the transformation of love into a weapon? How does this connect to Monica’s manipulation of Sam? Answer: The letter opener is a gift from Sam to Abby, meant to signify his care. Monica steals it and uses it to kill Denise Holt, then plants it to frame Abby. The object becomes evidence of Monica’s ability to turn the Adlers’ intimacy into a tool of destruction.

3. Why is Monica’s intelligence crucial to her manipulation? How does her mother’s description of her genius-level IQ and borderline personality disorder enhance the theme? Answer: Monica’s high intelligence allows her to forge handwriting, plan complex schemes (fake calls, scheduling sabotage), and anticipate Abby’s reactions. Her BPD explains the intensity of her fixation and her lack of empathy. The combination makes her both calculating and uncontrollable.

4. Examine the role of Gertie as an accomplice. How does Monica manipulate her, and what does Gertie’s fate reveal about Monica’s ability to use others? Answer: Gertie is a home health aide who becomes enamored with Monica’s charisma. Monica convinces Gertie to help with the plot, promising her a role in Sam’s life. Gertie’s accidental death during the struggle shows that Monica views even her allies as disposable tools.

5. The epilogue leaves Monica alive but in a vegetative state, and David bonded to her blanket. What does this ending suggest about the persistence of obsession? Is it a hopeful or disturbing conclusion? Answer: The ending is deeply disturbing. Monica’s symbolic presence through the blanket suggests that her obsession cannot be buried or forgotten. David’s attachment implies a kind of haunting—the child will carry a trace of his biological mother’s identity, complicating Abby and Sam’s efforts to move on. It is not hopeful; rather, it underscores that the damage of obsession is irreversible.