Romola · Chapter
XLIV: The Visible Madonna explained
Romola has become deeply devoted to charitable work, finding purpose and stability in helping the sick and poor of Florence, inspired by Savonarola's teachings.
What happens
Romola has become deeply devoted to charitable work, finding purpose and stability in helping the sick and poor of Florence, inspired by Savonarola's teachings. Her encounter with Baldassarre, who is now visibly hostile and suspicious, leads her to offer him shelter and food. He refuses her help but accepts money, and his intense hatred and recognition of her as Tito's wife rekindle her fears about her husband's past. Baldassarre, driven by a need for strength, heads to Niccolò Caparra's shop, presumably to acquire a weapon.
Themes in this chapter
Redemption and Moral Choice
Romola's dedication to selfless service is a deliberate moral choice, a path toward redemption from her personal sorrow and a way to find meaning.
Betrayal and Deception
The chapter is steeped in the lingering consequences of Tito's past betrayals, as Baldassarre's hatred and Romola's suspicions highlight the enduring impact of deception.
Characters to notice
- Romola de' Bardi
Finds solace and purpose in charitable works, inspired by Savonarola. Her encounter with Baldassarre stirs her anxieties about Tito's past.
- Baldassarre Calvo
Shows a marked change, appearing fierce and suspicious. He recognizes Romola as Tito's wife and, after refusing her shelter, takes her money and heads to a weapon shop.
- Girolamo Savonarola
His influence remains a powerful force in Romola's life, providing her with a moral framework and a reason for living beyond personal happiness.
- Tito Melema
Though not present, his past actions and the mystery surrounding them are central to the chapter, as Baldassarre's hatred and Romola's fears revolve around him.
Key passages
“If the gulf between herself and Tito which only gathered a more perceptible wideness from her attempts to bridge it by submission, brought a doubt whether, after all, the bond to which she had laboured to be true might not itself be false—if she came away from her confessor, Fra Salvestro, or from some contact with the disciples of Savonarola amongst whom she worshipped, with a sickening sense that these people were miserably narrow, and with an almost impetuous reaction towards her old contempt for their superstition—she found herself recovering a firm footing in her works of womanly sympathy.”
Whenever Romola doubted her marriage or felt alienated by the narrowness of Savonarola's followers, her charitable work restored her sense of purpose and certainty.
This shows Romola's internal struggle and how her acts of charity serve as an anchor for her faith and commitment.
“Her trust in Savonarola’s nature as greater than her own made a large part of the strength she had found. And the trust was not to be lightly shaken.”
Romola's belief in Savonarola's superior character was a crucial source of her strength, and this belief was not easily undermined.
Highlights the profound influence Savonarola has on Romola's spiritual and emotional resilience.