Agostino by Moravia is another coming of age novel that we have read so far throughout this course. Moravia illustrates the story of Agostino, a thirteen-year-old boy who spends the summer with his mother near the beaches and meets a group of boys that influences him to develop an awareness of sexuality. 

The book opens with Agostino narrating how he enjoys going on boat rides with his mother and swimming with her in the ocean. He took pride in these moments shared with his mother. However, things changed for Agostino when a young man, Renzo, invited his mother to go on a ride. As I read through this part of the book, I noticed how Moravia manages to capture Freud’s idea of Oedipus complex in Agostino’s character. Freud’s idea suggests children develop a sexual desire for their opposite sex parent and hostility towards the parent of the same sex.This idea is seen in Agostino’s jealousy that grew from his mother and Renzo going on boat rides alone without him, and his bitter attitudes as he describes his feelings toward Renzo. I also noticed that a similar idea is exhibited in Proust, where he also shows a desire for his mother as seen in his yearning for her good-night kisses. 

Throughout the book, Agostino’s perception of his mother gradually changes. In the opening of the book Agostino admires his mother as a “beautiful woman still in her prime”, and he particularly takes pride and pleasure in how others would envy them. As he meets the “gang” of boys, Agostino’s views shift very quickly. The boys talk about his mother in a humiliating manner, and continuously mock him for his innocence. This conversation evokes both shock and a strong sense of confusion within Agostino. Agostino began to develop an emotional turmoil, where his view of his mother shifted from a parental figure to a woman. He continuously repeats to himself that “she’s a woman”. It seems as if he was constantly reminding himself that his mother was no longer the caring parental figure she once was in his memories; his mother was now the type of “woman” he learned about from the “gang”. Agostino continuously struggles with this idea and seeks to seek an answer by hanging out with the “gang”, despite always being insulted and teased. However, he never manages to find an answer to his distress, and realizes that he would have to continue living his life while bearing this emotional turmoil. 

My question is: do you think Freud’s theory is a recurrent theme in novels written during this era?