Similarities in Campana’s Whore
with Iron-Gray Eyes and Verga’s The
She-Wolf
In
Campana’s Whore with Iron-Gray Eyes and Vera’s The She-Wolf a prostitute is
described by the characteristics of two animals, a cat and a dog. In Whore with
Iron-Gray eyes, the prostitute’s hair is depicted as a “black mane” and her face
as is seen as a “feral face of a sphinx”. These cat-like characteristics give
her the title of “she-lion”. Verga writes of the prostitute in The She-Wolf as
having “devilish eyes” and “fresh red lips that would devour you”. Verga and
Campana also write about the unattractiveness of the prostitutes in their
stories. They do this by describing the characteristics of the She-Wolf and
She-lion’s flesh. Campana describes the She-Lion’s flesh as “dull and lumpish”,
while Verga described the She-Wolf’s skin as “pale, as if always plagued by
malaria”. Both authors also write about the prostitutes relationships in
motherhood. Campana views the prostitute as a product of her mother, he
questions her creation by asking “who called you to life? Where do you come
from?”. Verga’s She-Wolf, being a mother, is written about by her inability to
adequately mother her child. Both Campana and Verga describe the prostitutes in
their stories by their appearance, their relation to animals, and their roles
in motherhood.
I like how you compared the two works "Whore with Iron-Grey Eyes" and "The She-Wolf". I agree that they have many similarities. However, I think it is important to make a distinction between a cat and a lion. In Campana's poem, the woman is compared to a "she-lion". When using the word "cat", one may likely picture a small, tame house cat. However, I believe Campana meant to compare the prostitute to the more fearsome, more substantial lion. He mentions her "lumpish flesh", a phrase which implies that she has a larger figure.
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