Vanity in Senso

            In Senso by Boito, Livia believes she dominates her relationship with Remigio because of the vanity she has towards herself. When Livia first meets Remigio, her impression of him is “strong, handsome, degenerate, and reprobate—I was attracted by him. I did not let him know it, because I took delight in teasing and riling this latter-day Hercules” (22). She sees him and automatically assumes that Remigio is attracted to her and, in turn, her presence is a tease to him. In Livia’s mind from the beginning, she is leading Remigio on rather than her falling for him. She is self-absorbed and unable to recognize that Remigio is potentially uninterested in her. As well, Livia attempts to control Remigio through her money. Before Remigio leaves for the war, Livia “kissed him for the last time, and thrust into his pocket a purse containing fifty napoleons” (31). Livia thinks highly of herself, but still worries that when Remigio leaves, he will be tempted by another woman. She delights at being his monetary provider because she is able to exert control over his decisions. Livia consistently gives money to Remigio when asked because she is conceited and does not see that Remigio is using her for her money rather than asking for money out of love. Lastly, Livia convinces herself that Remigio is passionately in love even though she briefly doubts his feelings. When Remigio is at war, he sends her a disconnected and vulgar letter. Livia “gradually persuaded [her]self that the tone in which it was written was affectedly light and gay, and that [her] lover had made a painful but noble effort to contain the violence of his own feelings” (36). Livia has misgivings about the tone of the letter, but in arrogance changes her mind to believe that he wrote the letter filled with passion and vivaciousness. Even though there is an obvious warning that Remigio does not love her, she is so conceited that she overlooks the sign and still believes Remigio is in love with her. In Livia’s mind, she has control over the relationship as well as Remigio’s feelings.

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.

Verga's The She Wolf

Kendall Weinert

The She-Wolf

Along with Jacopo Ortis, Verga demonstrates the constant desire for something that cannot be obtained in the story, The She-Wolf. In this story, Pina is known as the town’s She-Wolf because “she never had enough—of anything” (Verga, 3.) Pina was constantly wishing for more than what was permitted. Pina falls in love with a handsome young man named Nanni. The problem here is that Nanni sought to be with the She-Wolf’s daughter, Maricchia. After confessing her love for Nanni, Nanni states “And I want your daughter, instead..” (Verga, 4.) The She-Wolf is devastated but marries her daughter off to him anyway. The conditions of this marriage are that Nanni and Maricchia get everything except for one corner in the kitchen, where Pina will stay.  Pina does this in order to make it easier to tempt Nanni and is able to force herself upon him. Verga demonstrates Pina’s constant desire of Nanni even though she knows that she cannot obtain this need for him. After Pina is still forcing herself upon Nanni, Nanni refers to Pina as the “temptation from hell” (Verga, 7.) Nanni threatens to kill Pina in order to keep her away. Verga illustrates Pina’s want for Nanni and Nanni’s desire to stay away from Pina. Along with Jacopo Ortis, the protagonist has a constant desire for someone that clearly cannot be obtained throughout the novel. 

Verga Response – “The She-Wolf”

Even though Maricchia had all the qualifications of a good wife – “her fine linen in a chest and her good land under the sun” (3) – no man wanted to marry her because of her mother. Pina’s undesirable reputation held her back. Once Nanni married Maricchia, he realized that he still had to tolerate Pina, which made him unhappy in the relationship. If Pina were to have left the couple, they may have had a happy marriage, but she could not suppress her temptations and neither could Nanni.

            Most of the town hated Pina because of her promiscuous ways, but Nanni could not resist her. Nanni and Pina’s relationship has many similarities to that between Fosca and Giorgio in Tarchetti’s Passion. Fosca is a woman with an ugly face, but beautiful hair and eyes. Verga’s description of Pina includes “superb tresses” (7) and the “[eyes] of the she-wolf, whenever they peered into his, they made him lose his body and soul” (8). Also, Maricchia has a role similar to Clara’s in Passion; she is the obstacle between the two lovers who think they should be together.

Verga could have been making a statement about Fosca, as he wrote “The She-Wolf” several years after Tarchetti published Passion. Verga believes Fosca should remain an ugly character through the end of the novel. In the conclusion of Passion, Fosca becomes a more relatable character once Giorgio falls in love with her, but according to Verga, the man should resist temptation and stay faithful to his wife.

Pina the Devil Woman

            The village in which Pina and Maricchia live is haunted by Pina, the “She-wolf”, or as I see her, a she-devil. Never satisfied by anything, Pina goes around town sleeping with husbands, sons, and even the village priest. Women of the town make the sign of the cross whenever she passes and Pina never goes to church. Her pale skin, erotic features, and devilish eyes portray her menacingly as well as seductively, both of which are traits associated with the devil. For example, the devil is popularly known to sign contracts for people’s souls in return for something they desire. She possesses the town’s people quite easily but has trouble seducing a handsome farm boy, Nanni, and gives him Maricchia. Having no trouble whatsoever with adultery, she pursues Nanni which infuriates Maricchia beginning her transformation into a she-wolf. More evidence of Nanni’s hellish characteristics is that she seduces Nanni during hours traditionally believed to be under the spell of malignant spirits. Pina is a malignant spirit. Even though Nanni does not want to have a relationship with her, she comes to him unceasingly to the point that he would rather go to jail then see her again. Not knowing what to do he considers “gouge[ing] his eyes out to not see” her; he turns to the Catholic Church, but to no avail and is pushed to the point of murder. I know that Pina is devilish and inhuman because of the last paragraph. Faced with a “wild-eyed”, axe wielding mad man, Pina does not miss a step, and only able to manage, “damn your soul”, Nanni finally realizes her nature.

Jealousy and Temptation within Verga

The story of The She-Wolf by Verga is written based on jealousy and temptation. Pina, known as the “she- wolf” for her voluptuous looks and behavior, is in love with Nanni who wants the Pina’s daughter Maricchia. Pina is jealous of her daughter, yet still wishes that her daughter marries Nanni. The one condition Pina has is that she gets “a little corner in the kitchen, enough for a straw mattress.”(5) Pina does this to tempt Nanni into craving her, even though he is with her daughter. The actions of Pina cause jealous reactions from Maricchia, she “cried day and night, and glared at her mother, her eyes burning with tears and jealousy.”(7) The temptation of Pina is too much for Nanni to handle, when confronted by the sergeant he says “it’s the temptation of hell!”(7).  The temptation of Pina, is as to the temptation of the devil. Nanni is not able to run away, the temptation is always there. As the temptation overcomes Nanni he murders the she-wolf, in hope of ending the horrible temptation.

Verga Response

Pina resembles the classic example of wanting what we cant have. At first Nanni was able to resist her approaches, instead wanting to marry her daughter, but once they were married, he was vulnerable to Pina's "coal-black eyes" (6). The temptation and desire for something increases upon it being forbidden. Pina's enticing beauty is more deceptive after she seemingly weakens her approaches for Nanni by marrying her daughter off to him. But it was her plan all along. She knew the powers of temptation for the forbidden fruit. By marrying her daughter off to Nanni, Pina was tempting him into her trap. Nanni's desire subsequently increased for Pina and their relationship quickly progressed sexually. As their actions continue, Pina begins to attract devilish characteristics. Her approaches pierce through Nanni and break him down as he falls into her grasp. Verga is outlining Pina as sin. The temptation of sin is a thriving force in Nanni, "'It's the temptation of hell!'" (7). Nanni doesn't specifically desire to go to hell, but is admitting the greatest pleasures are sins. Adultery and incest are two prominent sins. They represent the temptation for the forbidden fruit. Temptation is the driving force to sin and consequently the path to hell. Pina isn't the devil herself, but the sin that results in meeting the devil in the after-life.

Response to "The She-Wolf"

        In Verga’s short story, “The She-Wolf,” the protagonist, Pina, rebels against societal standards and gender roles. Her lack of religion and her masculine tendencies supplement her natural beauty. She challenges proper behavior, and her deliberate negation of public expectations gives her a dominant, unquestionable aura. This virile behavior leaves men powerless to her sexual temptations.
Pina openly rejects religion and performs manual labor in opposition to social conventions. This behavior augments the intrigue in her physical attractiveness. Pina dismisses religion, “never (going) to church, not at Easter, not at Christmas, not to hear Mass, not for confession” (3). Because of this, she is seen as evil, or relating to the devil. Her eyes are described as “devilish, and her “red lips” can “devour” and “(suck) the blood” of men. To guard themselves from evil, “women made the sign of the cross when they saw her pass” (3). Furthermore, “the priest refused to bring (someone) the Sacrament if (Pina) did not go out of the house” (9).  The absence of religion in her life is a resistance against collective ideals. Additionally, Pina works in the fields “with the men, and just like a man too” (5). This is another act of defiance against social gender roles. Pina refuses to play the woman’s expected role in society. She considers herself above the need for religion or social approval.
           Because of Pina’s rebellion against common principles, she possesses an all-powerful, unassailable air. Men are defenseless against her sexual promiscuity, because it is an unknown behavior. They do not know how to resist her sexual advances, and they succumb to her erotic mannerisms (3). Pina, “suck(s) the blood of . . .  sons and husbands in a flash, and pulls(s) them behind her skirt with a single glance of those devilish eyes, even if they were before the altar of Saint Agrippina” (3).  She even tempts a priest, “ a true servant of God,” with her sexual shamelessness, and he “lost his soul on account of her” (3). Her rejection of common, feminine behaviors for provocative, masculine directness gives her control over unsuspecting men. Even the man, Nanni, who is enticed repeatedly into sexual relations with Pina, is never able to resist her temptations. He “beg(s) to be sent to jail,” so as never to see Pina again, describing her as possessing “the temptation of hell!” (8; 7). He threatens to kill her if she ever returns to seduce him. However, his determination not to fall prey to her tactics is never accomplished. When he sees her boldly walking towards him, despite his “ax glistening in the sun,” his resolve is lost (9). Her “black eyes devour” him, once again, and the temptation overwhelms him (9). Pina’s obvious fearlessness, uncharacteristic of women, promotes sexual attraction in Nanni. Her refusal to adhere to social expectations and her masculine displays of power and strength excite men, and they helplessly succumb to her sexual temptations. By willingly ousting herself from social acceptance, she obtains all-powerful, superior qualities. These qualities overpower the men’s reason, and they are not able “to free (them)selve(s) from (her) spell” (8). Her blatant rejection of social conventions is how she acquires indomitable power over men.

Pina and Fosca

          Both Verga and Tarchetti tell stories involving unattractive female characters that have the ability to manipulate men. Manipulation is a powerful mechanism that Pina and Fosca use to get attention and make the men feel feeble.  In Verga’s The She-Wolf, Pina tempts Nanni into having a relationship with her despite the fact that her daughter Maricchia is married to him. Pina is unappealing, “as if always plagued by malaria,” and is given the name of the “she-wolf” by the people in town (Verga 3). Pina tempts many men and has a bad reputation since she never goes to church, tempts the women’s sons and husbands, and is never satisfied with what she has. Pina falls in love with Nanni, but he does not want her and instead wants her daughter. Pina accepts this offer and continues “into the fields to work with the men” (Verga 5). Pina’s work was uncharacteristic and defiant, while Maricchia stays “at home nursing the babies” like a common woman (Verga 5). Even though Nanni and Maricchia are married, Pina entices Nanni and he exclaims, “‘It’s the temptation of hell!’” (Verga 7).  Nanni feels so manipulated that he says he “would have liked to gouge his eyes out not to see those of the She-wolf, for whenever they peered into his, they made him lose his body and soul” (Verga 8). Simply looking at her makes him feel powerless.

Fosca in Tarchetti’s Passion also manipulates Giorgio by getting attention and going against the traditional standards of society. She is not naturally beautiful and Giorgio describes her “horrendous ugliness” (Tarchetti 41). Fosca is rebellious and her hysterical screams are unusual, yet get her attention. Nevertheless, Giorgio becomes enticed by Fosca, even though he loves Clara. After trying to avoid her for so long, he describes, “A fog obscured my intellect, and I lacked the strength to resist” (Tarchetti 190). Giorgio also comments on Fosca’s eyes, and he describes that, “all her life was concentrated in her eyes, which were jet black, large, veiled-eyes of a surprising beauty” (Tarchetti 42). Verga and Tarchetti both depict that the power of manipulation can lie within the women’s eyes. Despite Pina and Fosca being terribly ugly and socially unacceptable, they manage to manipulate Nanni and Giorgio by constantly tempting them.