Hi Everyone! 

This week I chose to read Agostino by Moravia. I think this was an interesting read, but it made me uncomfortable at times. It includes a lot of discussions about growing up, trauma and class. 

In the beginning of the novel, Agostino is a high class child living with his mother, and he forms relationships with a lower class gang of teenage boys. At first, he is repulsed by their lifestyle calling them savages and wondering why they would choose to live that way. Later on, he becomes intrigued by them and has a desire to be accepted by them and the adult leader Saro. His transformation as a dynamic character is quite interesting and Saro is quite concerning. He seems to be a sort of father figure for these boys but he also takes advantage of them and their vulnerability. This is showcased through the scene when Agustiono took the boat with Saro and there were some uncomfortable moments and the boys would relentlessly torment Agustino about what could have happened on the boat. The fact that they thought this might have happened, shows that many of the boys had experienced it as well. Not to mention, Saro would make them steal and pocket the boy’s earnings but the boys, especially Hobbs, still sought out his approval because they viewed him as a father figure. All of these boys lacked a father figure and were particularly vulnerable and Saro took advantage of them. I think this can demonstrate a cycle of abuse similar to Ana Maria’s  in The Shrouded Women in the sense that the boys continued to crawl back to their abuser because it felt safe. 

Agostino’s friendship with these boys also encouraged him to explore his sexuality and masculinity . His friends begin to view women as objects of desire, and Agostino does the same as he begins to realize that it is acceptable and as a means to fit in with the group. He objectifies his mother, which is very strange and he is almost jealous of his mother’s lover because he wants his mother to love only him, and he also wants to experience what the boatman is experiencing.Throughout the novel, he feels as though he is becoming more of a man but his masculinity is damaged when he obtains money for the brothel, but is not let in because he looks to young and childish. However, they let in his friend Tortima and this is quite embarrassing for Agustiono because not only was he unsuccessful but a person who he thought was his friend cheated him and took his money. In the end, he returns home feeling defeated and emasculated and the journey that he was on to “become a man” in society’s eyes was unsuccessful because he is not sure if he is one.

Overall, I think this novel speaks volumes about what society views as masculine and how we should view women. It says a lot about how society objectifies women, but also how the objectification and sexualization of women makes men more masculine. This should not be society’s view.

Discussion Question: How does toxic masculinity relate to this novel?

Thanks. 

Nadia 🙂