In the beginning, Agostino’s jealousy toward his mother’s lover immediately reminds me of Proust, since he also yearns for his mother’s kisses. Both characters coveted attention from their mothers; their identities are partly contingent upon their mothers’ affection. For instance, the kisses from Prosut’s mother give him satisfaction and a sense of connection with her. As for Agostino, Moravia writes, “…Agostino was filled with pride every time he got in the boat with her for one of their morning rides” (3). Agostino’s sense of pride is attached to his mother’s presence, and this, in my opinion, helps mould his identity. Later on, when the boys mock him and say, “…Go back to your mamma” (22), this reinforces how Agostino’s sense of self is inseparable from his mother.

Agostino’s romanticized image of his mother may exacerbate his mingled feelings of devastation, loneliness, and betrayal when he knows of the presence of his mother’s lover. Moravia says, “He would dive into the mother’s wake and even feel as if even cold compact water conserved traces of the passage of that beloved body” (4). His mother, a feminine figure, is characterized by flawlessness in the eyes of Agostino. Everything is in harmony, and it seems to me that Agostino does not want any of that to change. The appearance of the young man is described as “a shadow obstructing the sunlight shining down on him (Agostino)” (5). The juxtaposition of light and darkness, with Agostino’s initial relationship with his mother as “light”, and the presence of the young man as “a shadow” highlights his abrupt appearance. Just like how the shadow “obstructs” Agostino, the young man breaks the harmonious cycle between Agostino and his mother.

I am saddened by Agostino’s failure to successfully become a mature “man” in the end because it is something that he has longed for since he was acquainted with the gang of boys. What stuck with me the most was Agostino’s conflicting perception of his mother. “All of these gestures, which had once seemed so natural to Agostino, now seemed to take on meaning and become an almost visible part of a larger, more dangerous reality…” (69). His mind is torn between his initial understanding of his mother as a nurturing mother and his newfound perception as a woman. The transition of his understanding becomes evident when his mother is reduced to “the woman” on page 88. Referring to Agostino’s mother as merely “a woman” toward the end strips her identity from a loving figure to an ordinary woman, alienating the intimacy between Agostino and his mother. At the same time, I find Agostino’s determination to become a “man” when he thinks that visiting the house with Tortima will affirm his identity only shows his immaturity. His identity is again partly contingent on other people’s expectations to perceive him as a mature man. The fact that he is rejected from entering the house and is told to “be home at this hour of the night” (97) highlights his failure to be recognized as a man. Similar to his humiliation when he sees his mother getting cozy with the young man, Agostino still feels humiliated when he is rejected from entering the house. In both cases, Agostino is still deemed as a “boy”. Hence, I don’t think that Agostino has fully transformed into a man, the one that he has longed for.

My question for this reading is: How does the setting at the beach and the seaside help bring out the themes of growth and adolescence?