Agostino, Moravia

 Week 5's reading is Agostino by Alberto Moravia, a very short yet interesting reading. I found this the easiest to read and get into so far, partly because it was only 57 pages and I could read it all in one sitting, but also because the plot and characters were pretty much immediately introduced. Readers are immediately wanting to know why Agostino is thinking the way he is. I did not find a single one of the characters likeable, yet I was still interested in the reading which I would not have expected. All of the younger boys were homophobic and just overall mean, and Saro was not a father figure, instead grooming at least one of the young boys. There is an overwhelming amount of description of characters bodies through the eyes of Agostino. He calls his mother large many times, focuses on Saro's mustache and six fingers on each hand, and goes into extreme detail about the boys bodies, especially when they strip naked to go swimming. 

The most interesting part of this reading that I found myself thinking about a lot, was trying to make sense of Agostino's infatuation or obsession with his mom, and especially her body. Reading what Agostino was thinking made me uncomfortable many times throughout the reading and one clear immediate explanation for this is the psychological explanation of Freud's Oedipus theory, where a male child develops a sexual infatuation for the mother. However, I also thought more explanations could be possible. Agostino's depiction of his mother started out from what I thought to be pretty innocent, just a child idolizing his parent. It turned uncomfortable for me when he was told about sex from the boys, and then became fixated on her sexuality, sometimes disgusted and repulsed by the idea of it, while also wanting to watch her change. Agostino could be trying to come to terms with his sexuality, while realizing that women should be the object of his sexual desire. He is constantly reminding himself that she is "just a women" and while this was uncomfortable to read, I think this could possibly relate to his confusion and coming to terms with that fact that he also has his own sexuality. The line where Agostino wanted to say "cover yourself, stop showing yourself to me, I'm not who I used to be" I think highlights this idea. Agostino's mom may have been strange, uncomfortable, and oddly chosen vessel for him to realize his own sexuality. 

 My question for this week is, why do you think Agostino is hyper-fixated on his mom, at times disgusted, and at times wanting to see her body? Does he really develop sexual feelings towards his mother, or is he just realizing his sexuality. 



Comments

  1. Jon Beasley-Murray10 February 2024 at 18:12

    "Saro was not a father figure, instead grooming at least one of the young boys"

    I actually think he is *both*, which is perhaps what's really disturbing, but also perhaps realistic: predators can be fathers, too.

    ReplyDelete

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