“Mad Toy” by Roberto Arlt was a fascinating read about a young boy named Silvio Astier who is confused, to say the least about society, life, love and responsibilty. By the end of the first chapter, he has formed a “club” which is accurately a gang, comprised of himself and his two friends Enrique and Lucio. Towards the end of the first chapter, they commit their first crime together of stealing books. One thought of Silvio’s that stood out to me was when he commented on how he felt alive in sneaking around in the dark and how commiting this crime was him facing danger head on. However, this quickly changes, when the boys realize there is something amongst them. Silvio remarks that his body starts involuntarily bracing for consequence and his nerves coursed through his body. When reading the sudden change in his demeanor about committing the crime, it became clear to me that the adrenaline rush one may get from committing a crime is a driving factor for Silvio. Instead, I look at the fact he turned to his two friends to form a club to do something they all just knew how to do. Here it is highlighted that Silvio craves to belong to something and moreovers, wants to find companionship. His desperation for companionship is also made evident while they are reading pieces of the books and poems they stole and he is reminded of his ex-girlfriend, which fills him with feelings of regret and loneliness. Another driving force that perpels Silvio into his confusing journey in society is his wealth status. At the beginning of chapter two, Silvio’s mother approaches him and tells him he needs to work. Silvio is pitiful of his situation and argues back asking his mother what she expects him to do for work. However, when his mother shows Silvio her tattered boot, he realizes he does in fact feel an obligation to her. They embrace one another and he remarks on how he wished he could comfort her more. I think Silvio feels a whirlwind of emotions towards his mother. We later find out in the third chapter that his father killed himself at a very young age. So considering this, I think Arlt displays the fact that Silvio cannot stand the fact that he comes from poverty and sees this as a fault of his mother, but also juggles the fact that she is on her own and takes responsibility for being useless in terms of finance. This is what motivates Silvio to find work with Don Gaetano, the owner of the book store. Silvio’s relationship with labour is an unique one, because after working with Gaetano for some time, he realizes he still feels vastly empty and particulary when he is walking with Gaetono’s wife to her sisters house, he sees a couple standing on a balcony. This is a key moment where he realizes that despite making use of himself and recieving money he earned somewhat honestly, this isn’t enough to satisfy him. He wonders to himself, will I ever have an aristocratic girlfriend. This shows two major motivators for Silvio, status and recognition, as well as true love.

Discussion Questions:

Although Swann’s Way and Mad Toy are very different in terms of plot, what parallels can be drawn between Marcel’s and Silvio’s development as young boys, in terms of discovering what it means to grow up?

Why does Silvio specifically want to be an inventor, instead of something that would make him more money or even more well known?