This week I chose to read the novel Agostino by Alberto Moravia. My decision to read this book came from some reviews I read on Goodreads that left me wondering what this novel was about.
The story of Agostino was a unique coming of age story. I couldn’t help but think of the Oedipus complex while reading, and after reading through some other blogs, I saw that this was a common idea for many readers this week. Agostino is fixated on his mother. In the beginning, this fixation seems innocent and childish, but these emotions change as his mother becomes romantically involved with a young boatman. Agostino feels left out and jealous. Thus begins the novel’s exploration of a young boy’s sexual awakening and loss of innocence. I found the boy’s description of his mother very disturbing to read, especially the more fixated he became with her female identity. I also noticed that she was always referred to as ‘the mother’ throughout the novel instead of ‘his mother’. To me, this was a way of explaining the disconnect Agostino felt with his mother as he grew older.
Agostino’s actual loss of innocence is sparked one he meets Berto and the rest of the gang. We see that he had led a very sheltered life with his mother as he was coddled, and adoration of his widowed mother and her “beloved body” is with the shamelessness of a child who has yet to recognize people as sexual beings. The gang begins to introduce Agostino to the world of poverty, violence, and sexism. The boys talk about his mother in a disgusting and degrading way. Still, instead of feeling protective over his mother, he starts to see her the same way the others do and this is when we as readers begin to see a shift away from Agostino’s naive, childish manner. When Agostino returns to his mother, he commonly refers to her as “just a woman,” no longer seeing her as just his mother but now recognizing her female identity and his own sexual identity.
Moravia’s observation of teenagers is the strength of the story. So many writers of coming-of-age stories often avoid the topic of sexual awakening, which is what this novella is all about. Although uncomfortable at times, this book really dove into the confusing time of adolescence. Was there a specific moment in the book where Agostino truly lost his childhood innocence, or was it a collection of events over time where he truly lost himself?