Much of the tension between what Alessandra and the role of women gets explored through the relationship between her and her mother. (By the way, is the mother nameless? I was looking and couldn't find mention of her first name.) There are two conversations early in the book that I wanted to bring up.
On page 21, when they are examining the paintings on the chest and her mother asks her if she has found her own likeness: "The girl at the side, standing apart, engaged in such earnest conversation with the young man. I wonder how well her talk of philosophy is keeping his mind on higher things," she said evenly. I bowed my head to acknowledge the hit. My sister stared on at the painting, oblivious.
It was a painting of the Sabine women being violated. What was her mother really saying here? What was the "hit?" Is it related to Alessandra's earlier secret conversation with the painter or does her mother truly not know about that? It seems strange in the context of the painting - all her talk of philosophy will not save her - she is viewed just like all the other women, about to be violated? And in that context, what does her mother seem to be saying she should do?
The other passage is on page 85, when they are discussing whether she will go to a convent and Alessandra brings up the possibility of her marrying instead. Alessandra wonders "why must there always be two conversations, one that women have when there are men present and one we have when we are alone?"
This had me wondering about how much this still goes on. Do women still have very different conversations when they are alone than when men are present? If so, what prompts that? Is it brought about by the same or different motivations than the ones motivating Alessandra and her mother?
