After the Divorce · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for After the Divorce by Grazia Deledda.
Chapter 1
Epigraph
The epigraph quotes St. Luke 18:33-34, foreshadowing suffering and a lack of understanding among those who witness it.
Chapter 2
After the Divorce
Giovanna Era has obtained a divorce from Costantino Ledda and married Brontu Dejas. The chapter explores her new life in the Dejas household, her complex feelings about the marriage, and the social dynamics within the community following these events.
Chapter 3
I
Giovanna Era, distraught over her husband Costantino Ledda's impending trial, seeks refuge with the Porru family. The chapter introduces the Porru household, including the student Paolo Porru, and explores themes of grief, social expectation, and the tension between traditional Sardinian values and modern ideas like divorce.
Chapter 4
II
The chapter opens on the morning of Costantino's sentencing. Giovanna awakens with dread, and she and Aunt Bachissia bring him food at the prison. In the courtroom, the defense lawyer speaks, but Costantino interrupts to declare his innocence. The jury returns a sentence of twenty-seven years for the murder of his uncle. Giovanna, overwhelmed, shrieks and is dragged out by Aunt Bachissia. After the verdict, she briefly speaks with Costantino before he is taken away. Later, at Aunt Porredda's house, the family tries to maintain normalcy amid the tragedy, and Giovanna plans to return with her son.
Chapter 5
III
Giovanna Era returns to her village after Costantino Ledda's condemnation, struggling with grief and despair while her mother, Aunt Bachissia, tries to force her to accept the verdict. The journey home is depicted in a desolate landscape, and upon arrival, Giovanna clings to her baby Malthinu, while Aunt Bachissia worries about the watchful eyes of their neighbors, especially Aunt Martina Dejas.
Chapter 6
IV
Brontu Dejas, drunk, confesses to Giacobbe his love for Giovanna Era and his intention to marry her after she obtains a divorce from the imprisoned Costantino. Giacobbe mocks him but later helps him home. Isidoro Pane overhears Brontu's declaration and warns him to be quiet. At home, Aunt Martina learns of Brontu's plan and tries to calm him. The next evening, Brontu returns from work, grumbles about the house, and questions his mother about the Eras. He takes savage pleasure in their misfortune, while Aunt Martina reveals that Giovanna plans to visit Costantino in prison with the baby.
Chapter 7
V
Two weeks after Costantino's condemnation, the community gathers for Mass while Giovanna remains in a state of deep lethargy and despair, haunted by her final prison visit. Aunt Bachissia delivers Costantino's message to Isidoro Pane and later learns from Giacobbe Dejas that Brontu has publicly declared he would marry Giovanna if she obtained a divorce, sparking Aunt Bachissia's fury and suspicion.
Chapter 8
VI
Costantino endures a harrowing sea voyage to prison, suffering from seasickness and despair. Upon arrival, he is placed in solitary confinement for six months. He copes by composing lauds to San Costantino, dreaming of home, and maintaining hope for exoneration. He receives a letter from Giovanna with news of their son and the village, but learns she works for the Dejases, causing him vague alarm. He sends the laud home via a clandestine correspondence.
Chapter 9
VII
Summer returns to Orlei. Giacobbe Dejas renews his contract with Aunt Martina, who is miserly and self-interested. He then visits Giovanna Era, who appears cheerful despite her misfortunes, and learns she has recent news of Costantino. Giacobbe seeks out Isidoro Pane to enlist his help in opposing Brontu Dejas's plan to marry Giovanna, but Isidoro is initially distracted, lamenting Costantino's fate. Meanwhile, Brontu, driven by passion, and Aunt Bachissia, motivated by greed, push forward the marriage scheme, with Aunt Martina supporting it for practical reasons. The chapter also includes a flashback to a previous autumn when Aunt Bachissia visited Brontu's hut to borrow money, leading Brontu to decide to go to Giovanna's house to speak with her directly.
Chapter 10
VIII
Costantino languishes in prison, consumed by love for Giovanna and tormented by poverty and isolation. He receives a brief, depressing letter from her about their son's illness and their dire poverty. The King of Spades (Burrai) suggests that Giovanna might divorce him and remarry, a legal possibility for women whose husbands are sentenced to more than ten years. Costantino insists she would never do it, but the seed of doubt is planted. The chapter also reveals the death of their son, Malthineddu, deepening Costantino's grief and fear of losing Giovanna.
Chapter 11
IX
Giovanna Era prepares for her civil marriage to Brontu Dejas after obtaining a divorce. She and her mother visit the Porru house in Nuoro to purchase wedding supplies, funded by a loan from Aunt Anna-Rosa Dejas. The chapter explores the social and moral tensions surrounding the marriage, including the disapproval of friends and family, and a heated theological debate between Paolo Porru and his mother about the nature of marriage and sacrament.
Chapter 12
Chapter X
Giovanna and Aunt Bachissia return from Nuoro, bringing gifts and news. Brontu's passionate attention unsettles Giovanna, who discovers a letter from Costantino pleading with her not to remarry. Meanwhile, Giacobbe Dejas and Isidoro Pane debate the possibility of a miracle to prevent the marriage.
Chapter 13
XI
On the vigil of the Assumption, a pregnant Giovanna works as a servant in Brontu's household, enduring Aunt Martina's strict control and her own deep unhappiness. She longs for her former life with Costantino, feels trapped in a loveless marriage, and confides her misery to Aunt Bachissia, who urges patience.
Chapter 14
XII
Tensions erupt in the Dejas household as Brontu and Giacobbe return drunk from the holiday, leading to a violent confrontation with Giovanna and Aunt Martina. Giovanna, feeling trapped and degraded, lashes out at her husband and mother-in-law, threatening to leave or kill herself. The arrival of Aunt Bachissia escalates the conflict, and Giacobbe is expelled but breaks down in sobs. The chapter also follows Giacobbe's internal monologue during a church service, where he reflects on his hatred for the Dejas family and his conflicted pity for Giovanna.
Chapter 15
XIII
Giovanna gives birth to a weak baby girl, who is baptized with great pomp. Shortly after, Giacobbe Dejas is bitten by a tarantula, and a superstitious exorcism ritual is performed by local women, which is interrupted by Priest Elias, who sends for a doctor.
Chapter 16
XIV
Giacobbe Dejas lies gravely ill, tormented by fever and guilt over his murder of Costantino Ledda. He insists on confessing to Priest Elias, the magistrate, and Brontu Dejas. Aunt Anna-Rosa and Isidoro Pane grapple with the moral weight of his confession, while Anna-Rosa undergoes a profound physical and emotional transformation, torn between her love for her brother and the horror of his crime.
Chapter 17
XV
Costantino, newly released from prison, journeys back to Orlei but is overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness and alienation. He reunites with his old friend Isidoro Pane, but their meeting is strained; Costantino's demeanor has changed, and he struggles with grief and memories of his lost life with Giovanna.
Chapter 18
XVI
After Costantino's return to Orlei, he is overwhelmed by visitors who offer sympathy and hospitality, but he remains bitter and restless. He learns of Giovanna's unhappy marriage to Brontu and prowls near her house at night. Despite planning to leave, he stays, spending his savings on food and drink, and feigns indifference while secretly tormented by his past.
Chapter 19
XVII
Costantino, now sixty-four days after his return, is consumed by misery and rage, feeling isolated and worn down. He waits for Mattea, a half-witted girl who brings him gossip from the Dejas house, at Isidoro's hut. After a tense interaction, Mattea leaves abruptly. Costantino drinks alone, wrestling with his longing for Giovanna and his scorn for her, ultimately deciding to walk toward the village.
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Costantino continues to visit Aunt Bachissia's cottage, where he relives his past happiness with Giovanna. Aunt Martina, suspicious of their renewed relationship, confronts Uncle Isidoro and pleads with him to intervene, fearing that the affair will bring ruin upon her household. Costantino, torn between his longing for Giovanna and his hatred for the Dejas family, ultimately stops visiting the cottage, while tensions escalate as autumn sets in.
Chapter 21
Endnotes
This chapter provides explanatory notes on various Sardinian terms, customs, and cultural practices referenced throughout the book, including local expressions, agricultural traditions, and superstitious rituals.
