The Argentine Ant (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Italo Calvino
- First Published: 1952
- Type of Plot: Fable
- Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
- Setting: A coastal village in Liguria, Italy
- Principal Characters: The unnamed narrator, His wife, Their infant son, Signora Mauro, Signor Reginaudo, Captain Brauni, Signor Baudino
- Genres: Fable, Short fiction
- Subjects: Freedom, Nature, Infants, Bioengineering or biotechnology, Italy or Italians, Environment or environmental health, Ants, Technology, Insects, Pests
- Locales: Italy, Liguria, Italy
The Story
Acting on the advice of his uncle, a man moves his wife and infant son to a small rented cottage in a Ligurian coastal village in Italy. At first, all seems idyllic, but on their first night, as they prepare for bed, they discover that their kitchen is swarming with ants. “Argentine ants,” the narrator informs his wife, and he remembers being told that this is the country of the Argentine ant. After the narrator calms his wife, they retire to bed; they are awakened by the cries of their baby and find his bed is filled with ants.
The next day, the narrator...
[The entire page is 1492 words long]
