Anna's Fatih

Despite her weak relationship with her husband and the loss of seven of her children, Anna has faith and supports Pierto up until her death. She feels a strong connection to God and believes that praying will save her from her awful reality. She constantly worries and one night Anna tells Pierto, “That’s three nights you haven’t said an Ave Maria. Bless yourself” (19). She tries to instill good values in her son, but his adolescent antics take over. Anna struggles because she wants the best for her son but since she and Domenico have trouble communicating, it makes it difficult to help Pierto. She tries her best, and “every day she said some prayers to a saint but never found it possible to have a serious talk about Pierto with her husband” (41). With strong faith but little reward, Anna experiences convulsions and worries that there are “enemies putting curses” on them (41). Her persistent preoccupation over Pietro causes the convulsions, “what distressed her at those times was not being able to look after Pietro” (49). The anguish amounted and Anna’s “sense of death was always present and it wasn’t enough for her to believe in God” (49). For her last attempt of faith, after Pierto continues to treat Ghisola poorly, “she decided to take him to the priest and ask his advice” (68). However, she has a convulsions attack and dies, weak and crumbling, with little faith and only a bit of hope for her son.