When she was little, Louise Bourgeois was torn between her affection for her father and her love for her mother who was treated badly by her father. She later said that she became an artist so that she could show how she felt about her childhood. She created this giant spider sculpture to represent her mother (who died when she was 21). That might seem weird (if you love your mother and are afraid of spiders), but to Louise, a spider represents a powerful, yet delicate protectress. Also, her mother ran a tapestry repair business where she wove fabric like a spider spinning a web. Think of this sculpture like a classic monster movie: Louise Bourgeois, a defenseless little kid, is attacked by these Godzilla-like monster feelings caused by forces beyond her control. So when she grows up, she creates this powerful mother-of-a-spider to protect and defend anyone who needs her.