In Boito’s Senso, Livia has confidence in herself
and believes that she is in control of her life, yet her love for Remigio
consumes her. Livia believes she is the most beautiful woman and is very
narcissistic, as she claims, “I have studied myself with so much trepidation
for so many years, hour by hour, minute by minute, that I believe I know myself
through and through, and can declare myself an excellent philosopher” (18-19).
She is clearly very obsessed with herself, reasoning that she is of the utmost
importance and deserves recognition. Livia thinks that she has control when she
gives Remigio the money that he needs and she prides herself for helping the
man she loves, describing, “He was so loving, and said so many sweet things, in
a voice so passionate that I was glad to be able to give him a diamond hairpin,
which, if I remember rightly, cost forty gold napoleons” (26). She thinks that
their love is worth more than all of the luxuries in the world, yet what she
does not realize is that his soothing and luring words that give her sporadic
joy are costing her a fortune.
Livia finally becomes aware of her obsession
with the lieutenant and admits, “I realized then that Lieutenant Remigio was my
life” (27). The preoccupation becomes madness when she does not receive letters
from him and then forces Giacomo to take her in a carriage through the battlefields
of the war just so she can see Remigio. Once she sneaks into his home and sees
that Remigio is in bed with another woman, all she can think about is revenge, confessing
that, “it gradually invaded my heart and mind entirely: the idea of revenge”
(45). Since Livia knows she has lost control of her own life and is consumed by
Remigio, she decides to control his fate for him by reporting his lie to the
general. After Remigio is shot and she indirectly takes his life away from him,
she returns to her selfish ways and boasts of Gino calling her “an angel” over
and over again (53). Livia is satisfied through gaining attention and approval
of others, and while she tries to do everything she can to make Remigio love
her, he ultimately ends up controlling what Livia does.
I agree with the fact that Remigio in essence takes over Livia's life. Throughout the story she denied that he was taking her life over even though deep down she knew she was obsessed. I think that Livia's reasoning for not admitting this obsession from the beginning is that she has never been obsessed with anything other than herself before. Overall I thought you brought up great points and I agree completely with your argument.
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