Today we related the phenomenon of "dissolving margins" (frantumaglia) in Ferrante's work to shifting boundaries of class and gender in post-war Naples.
For the next post, I'd like you to do an intersectional analysis of Ferrante's representation of sexuality in Adolescence. How does Ferrante represent Elena's sexual awakening? What role do
constructions of class and gender play in shaping Elena's and Lila's relationship with their bodies and their sexuality? Can Lila be considered a queer subject, even though she commands the attention of heterosexual men and capitulates, out of necessity, to the marriage plot? Does Ferrante-- like the famous Italian novelist Elsa Morante, whose work has inspired her own-- reproduce the mind/body dualism through her portrayal of Lina and Elena? In your response, include references to specific scenes or passages from Ferrante's novel.
When it comes to the characters Lila and Lenu, they are well-aware of their positions in society, but they can be seen trying to break free from their roles. Based on both social and gender hierarchy alone, it becomes much more difficult for Lila and Lenu to make a name for themselves. Since their families and others places a lot of expectations and restrictions on their upward mobility, it held them back from while placing more pressure on the girls, as they were expected to fulfill their duties. However, Lila is becoming the expectation to those standards as she deals with those issues in her own way, yet retain a sense of herself as shown by her appearance and nature. Lenu, on the other hand, still trying to figure out what she wants to do and the kind of person she wants to be, despite continuing her friendship and rivalry with Lila. The real obstacle for the girls is finding a path that would allow them to create their own futures. In regards to the relationship and marriage between Lila and Stefano seems out of place since we already know about Lila’s character. Yet, this could be Lila’s way of getting out of her predicament, but at the cost of her own personal freedom and future. On the other hand, we still see Lenu remaining rather confused over the fact that Lila’s married now, making us wonder where their friendship and rivalry go from there. Judging from her actions in the past, she will likely try to reach Lila’s level in the future.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most interesting relationships in the novel is the one between motherhood, class, and gender. Early in the novel, we learn that Elena is repulsed by the body of her mother. But her repulsion is not just that of an immature child. We again see a similar reaction from her when she washes the body of Lila on her wedding day. While she bathes her she laments Lila and Stefano's inevitable consummation of their marriage, and with it, the disfigurement of Lila's body through pregnancy. Elena sees through her neighborhood the women who live a life she is desperate to leave. They have children and if they work, it is within the family business at less skilled jobs than their husbands. Elena sees that women's primary responsibility in this life is bearing children, and "disfiguring" their bodies in the process.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if Lila can be considered a queer subject. Earlier in her life, she stated very firmly that she did not want to marry. However, as the reader can see, she decides to marry Stefano. Although she shows some reluctance through her conversation with Elena on her wedding day, she does marry him. However, her relationship with Stefano is a little out of the ordinary. Stefano's family believes that Lila is too strong in the relationship - Stefano will do practically anything for her. Lila's power in the relationship is a hint at her queering of her marriage.
The issue of sexuality depicted throughout the second half of the novel is certainly not a binary issue-- although we are led to believe that both Elena and Lila are heterosexual, the love shared between them as friends certainly seems to transcend the romantic and sexual relationships they seek with the opposite sex after hitting puberty. One notable line is when Elena asks Lila if she really loves Stefano, and she responds with something along the lines of loving Elena even more. It shows how their friendship is indeed a true form of love, despite being platonic at the same time. It also sufficiently demonstrates the unique and sensational bond between them-- after many incidents that would certainly cause rifts in friendships, Elena and Lila remain friends for decades.
ReplyDeleteElena’s sexual awakening is when she is touched by Donato Sarratone. Although this touch is unwelcomed and disgusts Elena, she feels an undeniable pleasure from Donato’s touch. Elena becomes confused and feels ashamed. She feels ashamed because she is repulsed by Donato but at the same time, being touched for the first time in this way surprisingly feels good. Elena probably feels disappointed that she could not experience this feeling with the boy she likes, which is Nino. I think Elena continues to explore her sexuality towards the end of the book with Antonio. Through Antonio she finds sexual pleasure without the shame that came from her pervious encounter. Although Elena can comfortably explore her sexuality with Antonio she still longs for Nino. Class consciousness can definitely play a role in Elena’s desire for Nino over Antonio. Although Antonio is quite affectionate towards Elena, she gravitates towards Nino because he is well educated. Nino is of a higher class than Antonio and has the means to move upwards. As a mechanic, Antonio is bound to Naples. Not matter how well Antonio treats Elena or, he will never measure up to Nino because he represents the life Elena wants to escape.
ReplyDeleteAs we know that Elena and Lila both grow up together in 1950’s Naples. Where there is hate and crime with male dominance in power. Along with the advancement of the neighborhood, we can see there is growth between them as well. Elena’s sexual wakening would be when she is indeed touched by Donato on Ischia. This was a man she knew and trusted from her neighborhood. She does feel ashamed and disgusted by the occurrence of events and isn’t obliged to tell Lila either. But because this was the first sexual interaction she has with a male, in someway she might have liked it because she says she didn’t regret what was happening "The entire time, I didn't once regret having accepted what was happening. I had no second thoughts and I was proud of myself." Lila on the other hand, being dragged down by life and living with disappointment of not attending school and poverty at home, that she becomes mentally insecure about crimes that dictates her neighborhood. So the only mission in her head is to becomes rich and get out of this chaos even if she has to marry someone. I don’t believe that Lila is a queer subject rather she is a rebel, a character that defies the social norms of society and flourishes the characteristics of being androgynous. For example, the scene when Lila pulls a knife to Marcello neck threatening to kill him if he touches Elena ever again. This would be considered immoral or disobedience to womanhood that dare to do such thing. An act that can only be done by men. It is however very unfortunate for such an idiosyncratic character such as Lila to settle down and marry Stefano, ending the book in a conventional way. The unexpected ending like this can be imagined for characters like Carmela.
ReplyDeleteElena’s first sexual encounter is with Donato Sarrotone. It is described as a moment in which she was terrified at what was going on but also to the pleasure it brought her. She felt hatred for him and disgust towards herself and the feelings she felt. While Elena and Lila are both poor, they are attracted towards the boys that are higher in rank than them; Elena loves Nino, while Lila ends up marrying Stefano. Nino is considered to be smart and in his last year of high school. Stefano is wealthy and can help Lila and her family come out of poverty. However, due to the experience Elena had with Donato, she is repelled by Nino. She feels ashamed so she settles for Antonio towards the ending of the book, as a way to get her mind off of Nino. Since Elena is attracted to Nino because of his intelligence and being able to learn new things from him correlates to how she feels when she is with Lila. However, Elena describes Nino as not being like Lila, “He answered, yes, but he didn’t give instant answers, the way Lila did, he didn’t have her capacity to make everything fascinating.” (Ferrante 319). The fact that Elena would have to compare a relationship between her and another boy to her relationship with another girl, Lila, shows how she views herself as one with Lila. She is intertwined with her. Lila answers Elena when she asks her if she loves Stefano by saying, “More than everyone, but not more than you.” (Ferrante 277). She can be considered a queer subject by this even with her “boyish” actions such as defending Elena against the Solaras boys when they try to touch her. We see a few instances in which Lila possesses qualities as a queer however the fact that it's necessary for her to get her family out of poverty and keep her brother out of trouble she must choose to marry someone of wealth. The class consciousness exists in the book by Elena wants to be with Nino because he is smart and they’re in high school and she excels, and goes based off the essence of love while on the other hand Lila after being neglected of her education looks towards the working class men, Stefano, as a way to progress making her more practical than Elena because she cares more about the wealth. Lila could have been with Marcello who was wealthy also however she knows that Stefano is not only more resourceful in making her dreams come true but not as possessive as Marcello. Lastly, Elena could’ve ended with Antonio at the end of the book but because he is not up to Nino’s standards she choses to end things because he is not the life Elena is moving towards in her educational world. It feels as if though Elena could also be attracted to Nino because she is afraid of losing Lila so she needs someone who can teach her new things like Lila did and keep her busy while Lila lives her new married life.
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