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?
3 comments:
Excellent post, Sarah!
pg.21: I think her mother knows (or least has a very good hunch) about Alessandra's secret conversation with the painter. And I think the mother is trying to warn Alessandra: that while she is having a conversation about philosophy, the man she's talking with probably is not as singularly focused. I think the mother is trying to warn her naive daughter about the true nature of man/woman relationships at that time. Which is ironic when it comes to the relationship and marriage she enters with Cristoforo. He actually may have been focused on the topic of conversation, but the relationship still caused great pain to Alessandra.
As for conversations, I absolutely believe women have different conversations alone than when men are present. But I'm not as certain that they are direct parallel conversations. Does that make any sense? That nowadays, it is not so much having to hide parts of the conversation from the men.
That makes sense. I was thinking of "the hit" as related to the spat that she was having with Plautilla. It seemed as though Alessandra was giving Plautilla a hard time - finding her opinions of the chest "trivial and stupid." Her mother seemed to be weighing in, challenging Alessandra's sense of superiority. Both Alessandra and her mother worry about her ability to fit in to society - worries that neither of them have about Plautilla. I read "the hit" as her mother raising this worry/critique and the contrast with Plautilla.
Later, when Alessandra visits Plautilla after she's married, she says "I realized that my vain, silly sister might have actually have found something she could do well in life. It made me glad for her and even more terrified for myself." Life would be easier if Alessandra was not so exceptional. That which makes you different or special can also make you lonely. But I still don't think she would trade places with Plautilla. ;-)
I too was fascinated by the mother/daughter relationship. It reminded me of the mother/daughter vibe in The Notebook. The rebellious, bright daughter who wants to break out of social norms, and the equally bright mother who has chosen the "safer", more traditional path in life (with some regret). She desperately longs for her daughter to be protected and taken care of, but knows it could break her spirit. I love that Alessandra is still able to hold on to her true self within the confines of the "marriage" and the convent.
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