In Fontamara, traces of doubts casted against the Fascist activities can be easily captured.
The Fascist activities, the immensely infamous crimes that humans committed in the history. People from recent times must have wondered, how could those Fascists be so brutal, cruel and inhumane to their fellow race? As hard as it can be understood now, it can only be understood under the historical and social context in those days. The times when people haven't realized how crazy their society was.
Have you ever cast doubt against your own society? Have you ever used a great amount of effort to cater and adjust to your surrounding environment? That was all they really did, the Fascist; they simply went with the flow, and never realize how much of a psychopath they have eventually became.
"'Aren't we human beings too?'
'You're cafoni," the man said, "Flesh used to suffering.'
'What sins have we committed that are greater than yours? Don't you have mothers and sisters at home? Why do you talk to us like that? Just because we're badly dressed?'
'That's not the reason, but you're cafoni, you're used to suffering.' " (Silone 36)
This conversation does not possess any logic. The man that was responding to the disgraced, humiliated women, did not understand how much of an animal he was to a group of people in risk. He was simply ignorant. He needed a mirror to stare into as he said those harmful words.
" 'Shame to those who laugh while others weep,' I tried to explain to her. 'Shame to those who laugh in times of misfortune.' "(Silone 33)
"When strange things start happening there's no stopping them." (Silone 37)
I disagree with you that the Fascists went with the flow and never realized the psychopaths that they had become. The Fascists were not the ignorant people in the story. The Fascists knew exactly what they were doing, and they viewed any act of injustice or violence appropriate, if it meant a greater amount of power for the government. The cafoni are naive and have never been exposed to a society other than their own isolated town. The cafoni are swindled out of their basic human rights step by step. First, the electricity is taken away, then their water is cut off, and then they are given pay decreases that leave them with next to nothing to survive on. The Fascists recognize their ability to take advantage of the small towns, such as Fontamara, and use them to gain power. What makes the truth in this story about Fontamara so appalling is not the fact that the Fascists did not know the extent of their oppression and injustices, it's that they did.
ReplyDeleteI want to focus in on your quote "when strange things start happening there's no stopping them," (Italia 37). You state this quotation, but do not elaborate. If you are using this quote to support the Fascists actions I think that is not entirely accurate. The Fascists can control the strange things that are happening. It is the townspeople of the Fontamara that cannot because of their low status and little education. They are the ones who have no idea what to do when these situations occur. They do not understand why these occurrences only happen to them. Despite their attempts to try and fix their poor, unfortunate situation. I think this quote you have originally stated above works perfectly as a reflection for the novel for giving a sense of hope. It reflects on how literary fiction can embrace reality.
ReplyDelete"'Aren't we human beings too?'
ReplyDelete'You're cafoni," the man said, "Flesh used to suffering.'
'What sins have we committed that are greater than yours? Don't you have mothers and sisters at home? Why do you talk to us like that? Just because we're badly dressed?'
'That's not the reason, but you're cafoni, you're used to suffering.' " (Silone 36)
This quote is extremely deep. I believe it focuses on the differences between social classes. Upperclass individuals are oblivious to the lives of those below them. Both worlds are asymmetrical giving off the impression that one is better than the other. Not all people see the world the same way which results in this behavior.
I disagree that the Fascist did not realize what they were doing to the cafoni. Since the authority figures, such as the Contractor and Don Circostanza seemed to laugh in the faces of the cafoni when they asked for their help, I would say that they simply did not think the cafoni were worth any sympathy. Since these people were too poor to understand when they were being fooled, these bourgeoisie men viewed them as people easy to exploit for their resources, man-power, and the little money that they had. "You're cafoni," the man said, "Flesh used to suffering." (Silone 36) This quote perfectly sums up what these large landowners thought about the cafoni - that, since they were used to hardship, why not exploit them even further? Ultimately my point is that these people were sadistic, and it gave them pleasure and amusement to harm these people who they viewed as irrelevant, and less than human. It's disgusting, and I wish we would have learned more about the Fascist regime in class so that we could analyze better what is going on in this story.
ReplyDelete