Temptations- The Siren and The She-Wolf

Temptations- The Siren and The She-Wolf

            In Lampedusa’s story, the senator explains how he fell in love with the siren when he was young. The senator, La Ciura, believes that this siren, Lighea, was a tempting beast of a creature. At first sight of her, he notices her youthfulness and beauty, but also describes her ‘“sharp little white teeth like a dog’s”’ (Lampedusa 78). He tells Corbera, “‘she was a beast but at the same instant also an Immortal’” (Lampedusa 81). La Cirua describes the vicious way she would eat live fish, ‘“the blood flowed from the lines of her chin”’ (Lampedusa 80). Despite having the body of and animal and her beast-like attributes, she tempts the senator just as she has manipulated other men. Lighea instantly entices the senator and he says, “This smile was the first of the spells cast upon me, revealing paradises of forgotten serenity” (Lampedusa 78).

            In Verga’s She-Wolf, Pina is also a woman character with beastly attributes who has the ability to tempt men, specifically Nanni in the story. There are many similarities between Lighea and Pina since Pina is also vicious and animal-like. Pina allures Nanni, even though he is much more hesitant than La Cirua was toward Lighea. Nanni describes, “It’s the temptation of hell!” (Verga 7). La Cirua never admits to being this seduced, however in the end he jumps in the sea, assuming to be with Lighea, which shows his ultimate inability to resist the lure. In both stories, the animal-like women tempt them men in a way that they cannot resist.