The She-Wolf

The She-Wolf

The She Wolf by Giovanni Verga is a book about an older woman, Pina, known as a she wolf by her fellow villagers because she was never satisfied. “She never had enough- of anything” (Verga 3). Pina falls desperately in love with a younger man who doesn’t return her feelings. He instead wants Pina’s daughter, Maricchia, who initially doesn’t like him. After forcing her daughter on Nanni, she seizes the opportunity of living with Nanni and proceeds to seduce him. Thereafter, Nanni tries to run away from Pina no matter what it takes. Pina has luscious red lips and beautiful deep-set black eyes but a diseased paleness. Though her description may seem more dilute, Pina reminds me a lot about Fosca from Passion. They both have beauty hidden in their ghostly physical features.

Besides their physical similarities, Pina and Fosca have similar mannerisms. Pina and Fosca both possess obvious masculine traits; Fosca throws herself at Giorgio and justifies it with her ugliness and Pina works in fields with men unlike the other women. Pina and Fosca also suffer from obsession- their emotion overpowers them and leads them to do compulsive things. Fosca follows Giorgio around and Pina sells her daughter off to Nanni so she can be around him. Pina is very sexual and doesn’t respect religion.  “The she-wolf never went to church, not at Easter, not at Christmas, not to hear Mass, not for confession” (3) This gave her a tempting, devilish appeal which made it easier for her to act shamefully without being embarrassed about her behaviour- both Fosca and Pina have no shame. Pina “devoured” men just as Fosca “devoured” books. Generally, Fosca and Pina did not conform to the expectations of society.