Lec 11/19

Opening chapter- narrative space of the novel, rhetoric of contrasts (has to do with Pin and the fact that he?s a child pg. 33 and 34- established this rhetoric (images) of contrast) -Important for the author to use a child, for the extent that for a child the impact of impact of war is more brutal (heighten the sense of tragedy) -Harder for us when we see its impact on children rather than an adult pg. 33 Examples of this kind of contradiction between innocence of child and maturity of a certain identity that he adopts for himself. -The alley way pin lives with his sister is a violent context (people always yelling vulgar words- violence language) -The way they talk to Pin- you little pimp (?I may be a pimp but I know what your wives are doing behind your back, copying their voices) All certain types of learning throughout the novel- how to be big -Novel of training and apprenticeship -Pin is learning the tools he needs in order to survive (these tools are brutal things- how to defend himself by gathering information from the people around him, in order to disarm them) Tenderness of his body is a contrast between the adults harshness (gulping down cigarette smoke against his tender body pg. 33) -Contrast between the violence of smoke (representing culture of adults) and body of small boy -Drives home this point Pg. 34 Pin is in a bar joking with older men. Injury to body- harsh to the throat (drinking, swallowing cigarette smoke) -Smoke, wine and woman- symbolize life of adults, symbolize history- things Pin must learn as he grows -CONTRAST- harsh qualities of life to soft body of boy Cousin- important character= father figure, besides father who is sailor who every once in awhile returns -Pin remembers strong arms, security of father?s embrace Grito- father figure, very problematic father figure -Teaches Pin things -Important teacher/ mentor in novel -How to clean a gun- important if Pin is going to fight -Teacher inspite of the fact that he is a failure as a commander (fire that leads to discovery of their detachment) -Important image of authority in the eyes of Pin -Source of some kind of security Teaching that takes place is brutal but is still useful -Teaching of what happens to prisoners in war Novel offers a series of spaces within which Pin finds security but then is cast out -Finds security and the loses it -A series of possible homes, but is evicted form every home Pin goes up into the hills, he steals the pistol hanging from gun belt on the chair next to sister bed -Taking gun= he is losing everything he has, his sister and German man- he will gain a place with the men in the bar Meaning of title -Takes pistol and hides where spiders keep their nest- build little homes for themselves -important metaphors- of what a nest represents= connection between babies and parents -nests= soft, round, like birds nest built with soft material of nature -Child wants this domestic place of security! Pin goes to the bar and the men betray him and says they don?t need the gun- they reject him -He is now utterly alone, betrayed his sister for new family, but new family doesn?t want him -Pin cries, here that he makes terribly important discovery of his cousin Asks cousin- will you take me with you -Man says he is a killer, he is on a mission (he says aren?t you afraid of me?) -Pin says no, he has seen people killed -Ability to distinguish between good and evil -Cousin represents a potential for a home -Cousin= family= belongs to family Pin loses one family (sister, men in bar) finds cousin who integrates him into new group -Up in hills -Write a story of mountain partisans Grito gets his revenge- wants to hurt Pin and show him reality- to see what the reality and truth is of war= the truth of violence and death -sets up most powerful scene in novel- burial -Faschist prisoners- Italian soldiers who joined musselinis forces- they didn?t want to join- they were forced to -They begin to dig (the calabrian brothers) ask is this big enough? No make it wider, for 3 people! -Start getting out of hole- and soldiers say no cover the body from inside- cover body until dirt is up to their knees- everyone else leaves to hush the sound of the pistols -The men are shot- not recounted what happens (but this does not lessen the brutality) Pelle- traitor, goes on missions to get guns, gets in fights with grito (wants to use any gun he wants) -Pelle had joined the black brigade ( the faschist fighting against the partisans- they were being identified and executed) -Pelle= traitor -Pelle will be eliminated (executed)