SOURCE: Kozma, Janice M. “Pratolini's Il quartiere: The Metaphor.” Kentucky Romance Quarterly 29 (1982): 37-45.

[In the following essay, Kozma deals with questions of metaphor and allegory in Il quartiere, an earlier novel which the critic sees as a study in the interplay of the forces of good and evil.]

Il quartiere is a study of the young people of Santa Croce, a Florentine lower class neighborhood. It traces their transition to adulthood through falling in love and marriage during Italy's Fascist period. The novel has been duly recognized for its social implications transmitted through the collective protagonist of the work; however, no one yet has considered the importance of stylistic devices to enhance the individual characters, and in turn the social themes. Giorgio and Carlo are brought into relief stylistically more than the others, in part to illustrate better the presence of good and evil (Communism and Fascism), within their small society. Pratolini singles them out by describing each with a set of metaphors and particular colors. The result is a descriptive baggage of imagery assigned to each which forms certain patterns and underlines the types of characters with which the reader deals. Imagery is used in a highly sophisticated way to bring these characters to the foreground of their surroundings, although there is no attempt to present a total dichotomy of good vs. evil, black vs. white.¹ Pratolini's interest is to present socially realistic human beings rather than figures in a uni-dimensional morality play. Thus, there are many other thematic factors which raise Pratolini's novel above the level of a neat stereotype.

In this study I plan to examine the interdependence of Pratolini's stylistic devices and theme in relation to Giorgio and Carlo in order to elucidate the associative functions of metaphor and color. For, in Il quartiere imagery has a “subtler form of literary meaning,” in addition to its immediate descriptive function.²

The wretched Carlo is the most vivid example of Pratolini's technique of metaphorization. In one of the opening scenes he encourages the narrator, Valerio, to follow Luciana. “Ti tradisce, eh? Io mi offesi: il tono della sua voce era maligno; i suoi occhi erano gialli, quasi di gatto.”³ At this early stage in the novel, one assigns almost no meaning to this description of Carlo. In fact, it forms part of Pratolini's preparatory stylistic foundation and in retrospect the fact of his yellow, cat-like eyes will take on new importance.

Further descriptive material along other lines provides a clearer picture of how Pratolini's stylistic devices function here. Valerio has spoken of his father's thought process as “un ragionamento della giungla” (p. 36). Coming out of one of the shops on the street is “un forte odore di pellami” (p. 36). When Marisa laughs, her white teeth show “belli come piccole zanne”⁴ (p. 38). These and other similar images in previous contexts within the novel have already suggested to the reader the idea of the jungle atmosphere of Santa Croce. This is background for Pratolini's description of Carlo, who resembles a cat and chooses “una grotta naturale occultata fra i cespugli” (p. 40). Urging him to take Marisa, Carlo shows Valerio the grotto. “C'era un'ansia particolare nella sua voce, un'agitazione quasi bestiale nel suo sguardo. I suoi occhi erano gialli e sinistri, sotto il ciuffo incolto che li sfiorava” (p. 40). Heretofore, the reader is unaware of Carlo's own secret relationship with Marisa, but senses that all is not normal in Carlo's life. He is like an animal with his feline, shifty eyes, his unkempt shock of hair, and his choice of a natural grotto for a hiding place, a jungle animal at home in his cave.

A bit later in the novel, Marisa describes the beginning of her relationship with Carlo. “Carlo mi assillò per lungo tempo. Mi guardava coi suoi occhi gialli; la sua faccia malata aveva accessi di ferocia che mi impaurivano. Ridevo per farmi coraggio. Lo sfuggivo, ma egli restava attaccato a me come i capelli. Lo trovavo in agguato per via Aretina, ogni sera; per ogni strada diversa dalla solita che prendessi lo incontravo; bussava di notte ai vetri della mia camera di pianterreno” (p. 61). Again Carlo's eyes are sinister yellow. Now he is ferocious. Like a night animal, he stalks her, he torments her. Pratolini builds on his initial metaphor of the yellow-eyed cat with imagery consistently animalesque and a jungle-like atmosphere reflecting that of the quartiere itself.

Carlo takes Marisa to the grotto; she describes the scene in familiar terms. “Non era violento ma la sua decisione era cosí forte dentro gli occhi gialli che io mi sarei fatta condurre in cima a un precipizio e mi sarei buttata giú a un suo commando” (pp. 61-62). Once inside he furtively covers the opening of the grotto with branches and attempts his futile conquest. He fails. “Egli si era rifugiato vicino all'uscita: si lamentava solo come un animale” (p. 62). A hurt beast, licking his wounds, Carlo crouches in a corner, whimpering in solitude. His very human failures and weaknesses somehow do not transform him into a sympathetic character. This is due in large part to Pratolini's insistence upon the bestial terms which describe Carlo. We are not allowed to like him.

Marisa analyzes the scene in retrospect. “Mugolava, guardandomi col suo sguardo di gatto incattivito, con una voce che non era la sua ma un gemito che mi terrorizzava e che mi chiedeva di star ferma e distante” (p. 63). His bestial groans, his cat-like eyes terrify her. “… in quel momento era una bestia raggomitolata nelle zampe” (pp. 63-64). First likened to a cat in simile, then metaphorized completely, Carlo is a beast, his voice is a gemito.

Significantly Carlo loses his bestiality after he comes under Giorgio's influence. His eyes still retain their yellow color, but he becomes almost likeable in a pathetic way. When Valerio tries to explain to him that his past actions toward Marisa have no importance, Carlo is even somewhat affable. “Carlo mi ascoltava. Quando ho alzato lo sguardo sulla sua faccia, ho visto che aveva gli occhi umidi di lacrime: i suoi gialli occhi di gatto avevano una dolcezza che gli conobbi uguale in certi momenti dell'infanzia” (pp. 82-83). It becomes clear that Pratolini uses this eye color as a yardstick to measure the extent of Carlo's transformation. His yellow eyes and their various states of mutation are indicative of his attempts to change, but since they will always be “yellow,” one senses that his efforts will indeed be futile.

Carlo has been seeing Giorgio and learning from him. In their long discussions of political ideologies, Giorgio discredits Carlo's thirst for war. Their debates bring out the contrast between the two boys even more strongly. For, the subject is the Ethiopian conflict, a war of conquest and arrogance. Without mentioning either political party, they base their long talks on Giorgio's Communism vs. Carlo's Fascism in heated arguments about the social value of Italy's African venture. In these moments, however, when he is at odds with Giorgio, Carlo regresses into his previous state of being a fiery yellow-eyed character: again the color-measuring device is at work. “Carlo era improvvisamente uscito dalla pacata condiscendenza in cui stava guadagnandosi la propria virtú: loquace ed espressivo come al tempo dell'adolescenza, i gialli occhi gli sfavillavano d'energia. V'era nel suo eloquio un non so che di disperato di cui soltanto in seguito dovevo rendermi ragione” (p. 124). It is important to note the abnormal position of gialli in the phrase “i gialli occhi.” It is entirely possible that Pratolini would like his reader to give a figurative meaning to this adjective rather than a literal one, thus making an analogy with other similar grammatical phenomena: i vecchi amici vs. gli amici vecchi, diversi libri vs. libri diversi, un caro libro vs. un libro caro. If my reading is correct, this would be clear evidence of the importance of the metaphorical analysis in Pratolini's original intentions.

The last time Carlo appears, he discusses Marisa with Valerio, and “I suoi gialli occhi erano pieni di lacrime …” (p. 162). He leaves the next day for North Africa where he is to die.

The yellow color of Carlo's eyes is a constant element in Pratolini's description of his personality. At first when he is at his most despicable, Carlo is equated with violent, savage animals. Yet when he matures and comes under Giorgio's positive influence, he actually garners a modicum of our sympathy, because we know that he is essentially a weak person. When his bestial associations disappear, Pratolini still insists upon his yellow eyes. They are a genetic mark of his weakness, both physical and ratiocinative (see p. 125). For, when he is intellectually at odds with Giorgio, his yellow eyes are mentioned, just as they were when he used physical force with Marisa. At this point we can ask what force or artistic value does Pratolini's technique provide? It has been established that Carlo will always remain a “yellow-eyed,” bestial character, no matter what transformations he attempts or resolutions he makes. Since Giorgio is the symbol of wisdom and strength, the exact opposite of Carlo, what we have seen so far constitutes only part of Pratolini's plan to oppose Giorgio's blue eyes and angelic qualities, thus reinforcing the opposition in character through color imagery.

Set against Carlo whose yellow eyes are associated with evil connotations, Giorgio's eyes are blue, his hair is blonde, and he is superhuman in his faultlessness. “Mi parve cresciuto. Era veramente il più grande fra noi, diciassette anni. Aveva gli occhi celesti e le basette bionde, ricciuta di biondi capelli la testa”⁵ (p. 25). In implicit comparison with Carlo's, these outstanding physical characteristics are made even more conspicuous by the inverted position of testa. Two facts make this important: the universal connotations of the blue-eyed fair-haired boy, and the reader's earlier metaphoric introduction to Carlo.⁶

Giorgio goes to Maria's house to declare his intentions to marry her; his eyes are part of a simile. “I suoi occhi erano duri, celesti e fermi come pietre fredde e celesti” (p. 28). In this description, celesti appears twice, the repetition used poetically almost as a refrain. Allusions to his strength include the descriptive words duri, fermi and pietre fredde. Blue eyes will henceforth be associated consistently with Giorgio just as yellow eyes are the mark of Carlo.⁷ Giorgio's actions demonstrate kindness, gentleness, and wisdom. Blue becomes emblematic of his commendable character.

His blondness is constantly reaffirmed and even equated with honest, hard work. “Girgio è occupato da uno spedizioniere; scarica i “colli” e li trasporta dal magazzino alla stazione. È alto e forte, riccioli biondi gli scendono sul collo nudo” (p. 70; see also p. 74). Blue eyes are mentioned often as a correlative of Giorgio's wisdom. An equation is established: blue eyes plus blondeness equals sagacity. Giorgio, himself, is a cipher for what is right, honest and true. “Ma Giorgio è deciso nel suo discorso; il suo sguardo è limpido e penetrante, fisso in quello di Gino …” (p. 77).

At his wedding Giorgio wears “un vestito blu prestatogli da Gino. Era biondo e felice” (p. 86). The last sentence in this episode tells the reader that Pratolini is now relying on the direct associations made when he simply says biondo and nothing more. Otherwise, the repetition of this mere fact (that he is blonde) would make no sense at this point. As it appears in this context, however, we are forced to ascribe meaning to this particular word. Being blonde now affirms much more about Giorgio than an elaborate descriptive passage. Biondo is the signal which touches off in the reader a conditioned response recalling a series of connotations. It is also more than just coincidence that he wears a blue suit. In this passage his apparel replaces the expected description of his blue eyes.

Valerio supplies the background information on Giorgio. “Giorgio era nato al Canto delle Rondini, nel cuore del nostro Quartiere. Egli aveva abitato, ragazzo, un ultimo piano: fu l'unico di noi a godersi il cielo aperto ad ogni risveglio. Forse per questo i suoi occhi erano celesti” (p. 92). His blue eyes take on mystical, poetic qualities. The suggestion that they have been infused with the qualities of the sky is a touch that Pratolini offers to establish further Giorgio as a symbol of goodness.

Giorgio and Valerio are discussing Gino during a group outing near the Arno in the evening. Valerio is encouraged to continue by Giorgio's silence, “guardandomi coi suoi occhi celesti” (p. 99). The mere mention of his blue eyes is a “literary shorthand” that tells the reader that during this conversation, Giorgio is listening and later will demonstrate his sagacity in some gentle way. Immediately after Valerio's expressed opinion, Giorgio quite convincingly expounds on the necessity of friendship, communal hope, and class solidarity. “Gli occhi celesti brillarono e un sorriso illuminò la sua faccia” (p. 100). The positive spiritual connotations of his blue eyes and blonde hair give credence to his words and noble ideals.

As they sit in the peace of the evening, Giorgio is the moving force of their discussions. “Ma come era riuscito a infonderci il suo calore, la sua virtú, semplicemente, altrettanto semplicemente Giorgio ci restituí ai nostri dubbi, alla nostra oscurità. E i suoi occhi lo stesso brillavano celesti” (p. 101). His blue eyes again become a poetic element. It is rare in Pratolini's prose style to find sentences beginning with the conjunction e. In such instances, however, one can expect a poetic reason for its use. Here it is a call to the already established connotations of the blue eyes (for further evidence see pp. 74, 126).

While Gino is languishing in prison, he writes Giorgio a letter in which he describes his religious crisis.

Parlando a te non faccio altro che anticipare di poco il mio colloquio finale con Dio, nelle cui mani mi rimetto, pure avendo trovato troppo tardi le parole per rivolgermi a Lui e per pentirmi dei miei peccati. Essendo Iddio, come ho imparato in questi ultimi tempi, la Bontà celeste e misericordiosa, tu sei stato la sola disinteressata Bontà da me conosciuta sulla Terra. Se trovo il coraggio di scriverti vuol dire che un'inezia della tua bontà mi soccorre ancora, e io l'adopero, cercando con lo scriverti di chiarire fino all'estremo me stesso, affinché io possa presentarmi al giudizio dell'Eterno, nudo in tutta la mia vergogna.

(p. 137)

This passage now clearly demonstrates the reason for such emphasis on blue eyes. The association with Christ is a means of expanding the symbolic value of Giorgio. Giorgio's adjective, celeste, now describes God, la Bontà celeste. The equation is made without explanation. None is needed. The simple use of celeste evokes the connotations of Giorgio. Gino places God and Giorgio on the same level of goodness, one in heaven, the other on earth. Gino further underlines that concept when he explains that he is writing to excuse himself with Giorgio as a preliminary step on earth toward receiving forgiveness in heaven. In his essentially religious-Christian system of morality in the novel, Pratolini lets colors and images carry their share of the stylistic burden.

Later, Gino remarks, “Tu forse, Giorgio, non sai che il tuo incitamento alla bontà, i tuoi pugni di fratello, determinarono la decisione nella mia mente viziata! Non averne rimorso, tu fosti l'angelo buono che mi colpiva con la frusta per farmi rimordere nella colpa, ma il diavolo si era accoccolato nel mio petto, si serví delle tue parole ispirate per accelerare il possesso definitivo della mia anima” (pp. 144-45). Again he reminds us of the Giorgio/God equation with “il tuo incitamento alla bontà.” Giorgio becomes the good angel opposed to the devil that possesses his soul. Giorgio's words are ispirate. Since Gino's devil is a deadly one, we can only assume that Giorgio is to be considered its exact opposite, goodness personified.

When Valerio takes Olga to the movies to see a film di guerra e d'amore, he recognizes Giorgio in the sympathetic hero who, indeed, resembles him. “L'attore James era occupato nelle fogne di Parigi; emergeva dalle botole sulla strada la sua alta figura dinoccolata, il suo volto fresco e leale, lo sguardo di bontà negli occhi chiari” (pp. 153-54). The connection is made here not only with Giorgio's occhi chiari, but with the introduction of a new parallel: la Bontà celeste of Gino's letter and lo sguardo di bontà in this passage. Pratolini is building upon the previous image of Giorgio as a Christ figure by steadily accumulating his images and forcing them to dovetail. Pratolini's entire description of the film is worth examination in detail.

Un giorno, insieme al sole che lo saluta mentre risale dal ventre della terra, incontra l'attrice Simona, una ragazza tutta corruccio e malizia, bella come un bel gatto e come questo docile e ribelle. Gli uomini, nel mondo, hanno fatto del male a Simona, ed essa affonderà nel peccato oltre l'angolo di strada che sta per voltare, ma James esce dal tombino sulla strada, la prende per mano e la conduce nella sua soffitta ove a sera egli parla con le stelle, nel settimo cielo, con gli amici gatti che assomigliano alla bella Simona … Ora, sulla felicità dei due eroi cade l'ingiustizia della guerra. Simona interrompe smarrita l'allegra giravolta che le ha strappato la contentezza del suo abito di sposa. James è soldato, un soldato lungo e impacciato, con due chiari occhi che si fanno coraggio. Simona resta sola nella soffitta. Anche il canarino è triste dentro la gabbia, ed i gatti miagolano di tetto in tetto alzando il muso alle stelle. Finché passa l'uragano e James torna alla sposa senza piú luce nei chiari occhi di fanciullo.

(p. 154)

James is an obvious symbol for Giorgio.⁸ Once having created the real Giorgio as an exemplary figure, Pratolini uses him in this instance as an allegorical case to illustrate a point of social urgency, and to prophesy the future for Giorgio. The film story closely resembles that of Giorgio and Maria, his saving her from a life of ill-repute. (Giorgio as a Christ figure takes on double significance. Like Jesus, he at once emerges from the bowels of the earth on the third day, and he saves the Mary Magdalene figure represented by Maria.) “Maria who becomes Giorgio's wife, is at the beginning of the novel dangerously close to becoming a prostitute.”⁹ The film story places Carlo in opposition to Giorgio. The reader responds through previous conditioning to the word “gatto” by immediately thinking of Carlo. Carlo's image within the novel (but outside this film story) is also consistent with the connotations of the cats in this passage. Cats here represent a “pre-state” of cognition and of “humanistic” tendencies out of which Maria has emerged, but in the dark of which Carlo has remained: i.e., Maria has developed her potential to be a sensitive, sophisticated and aware human being, while Carlo does not have it within him to even recognize that possibility in its pre-state of potential development. Before James/Giorgio met Simona/Maria, she was “una ragazza tutta corruccio e malizia, bella come un bel gatto.” Just as Giorgio is wont to preside at discussions among his friends, James speaks “con gli amici gatti che assomigliano alla bella Simona.”

The end of the film story reflects the limited change that Carlo undergoes through Giorgio's influence: “… ed i gatti miagolano di tetto in tetto alzando il muso alle stelle.” The story reflects Giorgio's having to serve in the army, “… l'ingiustizia della guerra,” and his life of separation from Maria. His idealism is underlined, “… con due chiari occhi che si fanno coraggio.” Later in the passage with “… ed i gatti miagolano di tetto in tetto alzando il muso alle stelle,” one remembers that earlier descriptions associated Giorgio's blue eyes with sky-ness. If Carlo, one of the cats, lifts his head to the skies, he may be searching for the wisdom which only Giorgio's blue eyes can impart. As the facts of the film story suggest, the canary stands for their child, Renzino, in his cradle. Finally, the passage predicts what we cannot know without an allegorical device such as this—that Giorgio will return from exile a beaten man, “senza piú luce nei chiari occhi di fanciullo.”

What social implications are evident in this film episode? James/Giorgio is presented as a sympathetic character and then sacrificed to an evil society which wages unjust wars, persecutes Communists, breaks up families, and ultimately drains its members of their youthful enthusiasm and idealism. Carlo is a Fascist antagonist who represents the evil society which will undo Giorgio eventually.

The film plot, a story within a story, is a mirror of the fictive reality of the novel. It allows us to see the story in miniature.¹⁰ Giorgio's role in the novel is heightened and underlined by this retelling of his own experiences in the guise of a movie plot. The reader is thus given the aesthetic distance to evaluate Giorgio's situation from a different perspective.¹¹

The last mention of Giorgio is the most subtle, yet thematically poignant of all. Valerio, back from the service, surveying the demolished quartiere, accompanies Marisa on her rounds of delivering the laundry. “Seduto sul bordo del carretto, la cicca fra le mani, pensai a Giorgio, al suo desiderio di ritrovarmi cosciente un giorno. Sopra la mia testa il cielo era di un cupo azzurro, mi circondava la quiete delle strade prossime ai Giardini ove le case dei borghesi erano raccolte nel silenzio e nel lusso, commentate dal suono di un pianoforte sul mattino” (p. 203).

The description of the blue sky reinforces, in the closing pages of the novel, Giorgio's influence on Valerio. The passage gives a final affirmation of Giorgio's symbolic value. We see the luxurious bourgeois homes and know that Giorgio is in exile because of his desire to change the world. The silence and the luxury of the rich neighborhood is in contrast to the quartiere whose inhabitants have been dispersed because of the government renewal project.

These are examples of Pratolini's characterization of Giorgio in Il quartiere. Giorgio is brought into relief through color imagery and metaphors of moral strength. He is made to stand for goodness, a value judgement so often reinforced by the metaphorically negative example of Carlo through one to one color relationships.

In Il quartiere Carlo and Giorgio are both described through imagery, and in a subtle way, are both part of stylistic interdependencies. (Carlo is an animal; his milieu is a jungle.) Carlo and Giorgio also function within the framework of larger categories, i.e., good vs. evil. Predatory animals are Fascists; blue-eyed demi-Gods are Communists. The theme of good vs. evil is presented somewhat simply in the novel; yet, couched in the author's essentially Christian conception of the world and in his manner of description, theme becomes part of a complicated mesh. The use of metaphor and of color is part of a master plan—not always obvious in this novel—to make it clear that there are opposing political forces at work in the neighborhood. Il quartiere demonstrates through the use of imagery the interdependence of the characters as directly related to sociological and moral interaction. The successful use of this device indicates that Pratolini's technique is at once stylistically and thematically rewarding.

Notes

1. The term “imagery” in this study will refer to metaphor and color as stylistic devices. See René Wellek and Austin Warren, Theory of Literature (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1956), p. 188.

2. Wellek and Warren, p. 209.

3. This and all subsequent citations unless otherwise indicated are from Vasco Pratolini, Il quartiere (Milan: Mondadori, 1945), p. 18.

4. Pratolini's primary vision of the quartiere is one of a sociological island where for their own protection the inhabitants practice class isolationism, forced by an oppressive governmental imposition of political and economic restraints. His choice of metaphors to define the neighborhood sociologically is closely linked with the main theme of class solidarity. The quartiere is an island, and at times it is also a jungle. He sees the people of the quartiere as a human island amid the “river” of humanity. When Pratolini shows us the quartiere through Valerio's father's perceptions of it (p. 36), his ragionamento is of the giungla, because he is aware of the jungle-like aspects of the quartiere. The quartiere is neatly delineated in Valerio's eyes as an entity unto itself which does not mesh with the bordering areas. For the people who live there, it is an island.

5. Reminiscent of Vittorini's Gran Lombardo in Conversazione in Sicilia, a character who also represents the positive qualities found in some human beings.

6. It is dangerous to assume that symbolic connotations of color psychologically are “engraved in stone” totally outside a given literary context; however, it is noteworthy that Audrey Kargere, Color and Personality (New York: Philosophical Library, 1949) remarks: “Golden yellow is the highest form of intellect. Blue represents the spiritual and religious plane of being … light blue indicates … devotion to noble ideals” (p. 2). On a table for color “signs and effects, as well as the properties that color possesses,” Ms. Kargere notes that blue symbolizes “devotion, loyalty and truth.” It has a “sedative, healing effect” (pp. 29-30).

7. It is true that at this point we do not yet know the extent of Carlo's malevolence, but we have already seen his eyes as he urged Valerio to follow Luciana. “… erano gialli, quasi di gatto” (p. 18).

8. It is Valerio himself who suggests the similarity. “E James ha il cuore di Giorgio.” Other references include the twice mentioned chiari occhi leaving no doubt as to whom Pratolini has in mind when he describes James.

9. Frank Rosengarten, Vasco Pratolini: The Development of a Social Novelist (Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 1965), p. 54.

10. Pratolini often presents panoramic, visual scenes while inserting his characters into the action. Similar to the procedure of the film itself, this technique is fully exploited when Pratolini puts James/Giorgio into the framework of a film story. In later novels, especially Cronache di poveri amanti, this technique is further developed. In addition, theatrical elements begin to appear consistently. Rosengarten remarks, “… it was the cinematographic rather than the literary side of neo-realism that had the most direct influence on Pratolini” (p. 50). Francesco Flora, Scrittori italiani contemporanei (Milan: Mondadori, 1952), p. 271, adds: “E si devono aggiungere per la sua formazione … l'influsso del racconto cinematografico e talora della tecnica del film, compiutamente trasposta nella tecnica verbale.”

11. The figures of Giorgio and Carlo in Il quartiere are directly related to Maciste and Carlino/Osvaldo in Pratolini's Cronache di poveri amanti. The relationship is not only stylistic but thematic as well. Pratolini's technique of using metaphor in this subsequent novel is carried to a high level of sophistication and complexity, although Il quartiere in no way should be considered a “prova generale” for Cronache di poveri amanti.