Tag Archives: youth

Alberto Moravia, “Agostino”

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Alberto Moravia’s novel, “Agostino,” follows the story of a young boy transitioning into adolescence while exploring themes like identity, loss of innocence and sexual awakening. While many adolescents struggle with a sense of identity during their journey of self-discovery and growth, Agostino seemed to have matured much too fast in the span of one summer. From the very beginning, I took notice of Agostino’s pride and weirdly intimate descriptions of his beautiful mother during their swimming trips. It reminded me of “Combray” by Proust, how the protagonist was obsessed with attaining the warmth of his mother’s night kiss. Agostino took joy in being the only man his mother paid attention to, but that changed when a young suitor entered the scene. Pushed to his mother’s periphery, Agostino felt a sense of betrayal and abandonment as his mother formed a new romantic relationship with the suitor. After a quarrel with his mother, Agostino met Berto who introduced him to the community of working-class kids who resided on Vespucci beach. This is where Agostino’s life and understanding of intimacy and relationships took a pivotal shift. Firstly, it appears that Agostino grew up in a wealthy family with a sheltered lifestyle, so the behaviour and language used by the local kids came as a shock to him. It also came as a shock to me as well, how they made such disturbing comments and asked such intimate questions about his mother. When the boys found out that Agostino “knows nothing (p. 30)” about what a man and woman do together, they were crude with their explanation of sexual intimacy, using harsh words and vulgar gestures. After the loss of childhood innocence, Agostino grew even more confused about his emerging sexuality and the relationship between him and his mother. The admiration and love he once had for his mother turned into something distorted and cruel: “He couldn’t say why he wanted so much to stop loving his mother, why he hated her love (p. 46).” I think that the sudden dump of information about sexuality confused and shocked him, making him feel repulsed, lonely and even more susceptible to thoughts like this. It was also mentioned that Agostino’s father passed away, leaving him and his mother to form a close and affectionate mother-son relationship without the presence of a father figure. Therefore, it must’ve been even more overwhelming for Agostino to face his sexual awakening without a trustworthy adult to answer his questions or guide him through his adolescent journey. Agostino also struggled with his self-identity; he didn’t enjoy the company of the kids from his social class and gravitated toward the presence of the local working-class kids by “deliberately pretend[ing] to appreciate and enjoy the behaviour and manners that still horrify him (p. 73).” 

Question: 

Agostino always had an intimate relationship with his mother, how did this relationship affect his emotional and psychological development and alter his perspective on romantic relationships?

Roberto Arlt, “Mad Toy”

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Roberto Arlt’s novel, “Mad Toy,” was a refreshing coming-of-age novel that invited readers to follow the harrowing journey of a struggling youth named Silvio Astier. In the first chapter, “The Band of Thieves,” Silvio befriended Enrique Irzubeta and Lucio. Together, the three adolescents became members of the “Club of the Midnight Horsemen,” entangled in a life of petty crimes and thievery. The narrator used Enrique and Irzubeta interchangeably, which I found peculiar as he didn’t stay consistent with just a first or last name. Additionally, Silvio described his friendship with Enrique as “that of Orestes and Pylades (p. 26);” this interested me to search for the historical context behind the two characters to better understand the relationship dynamics between the two boys. From the beginning, this book was much more engaging for me in comparison to “Combray” by Proust. Although it was also told in the first-person, the narrator immersed the readers with descriptive dialogue and exciting action that conjured a sense of danger and thrill for readers. In chapter 2, “Work and Days,” Silvio leaves the days of thievery and mischief behind to find work, signalling the start of adulthood. Although the “Club of the Midnight Horsemen” disbanded, Silvio still looks for traces of his old friends during his time working at a run-down bookstore, he stated that Dona Maria’s smile “reminded me of Enrique Irzubeta’s smile when he was slipping through the fingers of the police (p. 76).” This reflects the universal experience of growing up and leaving childhood friendships behind, which most university students can resonate with as they face similar transitions into adulthood. The next chapter, “Mad Toy,” highlights Silvio’s intelligence. Despite the barriers of poverty, Silvio’s curiosity and self-education, from books and literature, emphasize his resilience and determination to pursue knowledge and advance his skillset in constructing gadgets and explosives. Overall, this reading successfully depicted the journey of a troubled youth navigating through the complexities and hardships of life. Silvio was constantly growing and adapting to the obstacles thrown his way as he discovered new aspects of himself in the quest for identity in this ever-changing world. 

Questions:

In chapter three, Silvio was fired from his new position as an apprentice airplane mechanic, but what was the reason behind it? The school director stated, “We don’t need smart people here, just dumb brutes who can work (p. 99),” so was Silvio simply too smart to stay in the army? That doesn’t make sense to me as I thought that the Military School was looking for youth who wanted to study and had an interest in engineering to build engines and repair planes. Even Silvio was confused, “They threw me out of the army for no reason (p. 100).” Another question I have is whether Silvio’s previous life in crime influenced his decision to turn in Rengo to the police, what was the pivoting point when he made his decision? Why did he decide to turn Rengo in and was this another turning point in finding his identity and morals?