Natalia Ginzburg's Little Virtues is an amazing piece of work. It is a refreshing novel filled with relatable short stories. I found the short story Worn-Out Shoes very interesting because there is a deeper message hidden behind it. It is made clear that she wants the best for he children and she questions what they will become. She asks "But what kind of men will they become? I mean what kind of shoes will they have when they are men?" (10). My question is what is the significance behind worn-out shoes or shoes in general? Maybe worn-out shoes represent hardship. Traveling many miles in order to search for a new meaning. Maybe Ginzburg doesn't want her children to have hard lives growing up, which is why she wonders what type of shoes they will have then they become adults. There could be many meanings behind worn-out
shoes, but the most significant, in my opinion, is the idea of hardship.
Natalia Ginzburg’s novel, Little Virtues, is an amazing and refreshing work of literature that is composed of several short stories to which the reader can easily relate. “Worn-Out Shoes” is one of the sections of the novel that I found to be particularly interesting because it contains a deeper, hidden message. Ginzburg clearly says that she genuinely hopes for the best future for her children, and she questions the type of people they will become. Ginzburg asks, “But what kind of men will they become? I mean what kind of shoes will they have when they are men?” (10). It is unclear to me what the significance behind worn-out shoes is. Perhaps, the wearing down of the shoes represents the hardships that one endures throughout life, such as traveling many miles in search of a new identity or purpose. Maybe Ginzburg is revealing to the reader that she does not want her own children to live difficult lives in their adulthood, and she is wondering which type of shoes they will wear in the future. There are several possible interpretations of Ginzburg’s concept of worn-out shoes; however, the most relevant meaning within worn-out shoes is its symbolism,which reflects hardship in one’s life.
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