After the Divorce · Chapter
III explained
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.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Resilience
Giovanna's silent tears and eventual numbness, along with Aunt Bachissia's pragmatic advice, highlight the theme of enduring personal tragedy.
Social Class and Community
The Eras' poverty and dependence on the Dejases for work, as well as the communal journey and village gossip, underscore class divisions and community scrutiny.
Injustice and Fate
Giovanna's sense of helplessness against the 'mysterious, invincible power' that condemned Costantino reflects a deep feeling of injustice and fatalism.
Characters to notice
- Giovanna Era
Grieves deeply over Costantino's condemnation, feeling numb and despairing; she clings to her baby Malthinu upon returning home.
- Aunt Bachissia
Tries to console and scold Giovanna, insisting she accept Costantino as dead; she is pragmatic and wary of neighbors like Aunt Martina.
- Malthinu
Giovanna's baby, about five months old, with violet eyes; he is brought to her upon her return and she calls him her sole comfort.
- Aunt Martina Dejas
Owner of the white house overlooking the Era cottage; she is a miserly woman whom Aunt Bachissia distrusts, though she has shown some concern.
- Maria Chicca
A relative who stayed to care for the baby; she helps unload the horse and is sent to return the horse to the Dejases.
Key passages
“But he is not dead!”
Giovanna insists that Costantino is still alive, rejecting her mother's advice to think of him as dead.
Shows Giovanna's denial and desperate hope despite the verdict.
“She felt towards it as she did towards those horrible spirits, unseen, but felt, which fly abroad on stormy nights!”
Giovanna's hatred for the power that condemned Costantino is compared to her fear of invisible, malevolent spirits.
Highlights her sense of powerlessness and the supernatural dread she associates with the legal system.
“Malthinu, my little Malthineddu, my sole comfort in all the earth; your daddy is dead.”
Giovanna sobs to her baby, calling him her only comfort and declaring that his father is dead.
Reveals her deep despair and the role of her child as her only solace.