WARBy Luigi Pirandello

QUIZ

1. At which station did the night express stop?2. How old is the son of the couple?3. Paternal love is not like _____________.4. What is the traveler trying to hide with his hand?5. How many passengers are there in the carriage after the couple came?6. Where did the couple live before going to Rome?7-9. Describe the traveler whose son died in the war.10. What did the wife use to hide her face?

ANSWERS

1. Fabriano 2. 20 years old3. Bread 4. Two missing front teeth5. 7

6. Sulmona7. Fat8. Red-faced9. With bloodshot eyes10.Collar of her coat

Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) was born in Girgenti,

Sicily to a wealthy family actively participating in

the “Il Risorgimento” or a political movement which called for democracy and the unification of states

that later lead to the founding of the Kingdom

Italy in 1861.

About the Author

Luigi Pirandello spent his early education at home, where he grew a fascination for fables and fairytales and by the age of 12, wrote his very first play.

In 1887, he moved to Rome after being accepted by the Department of Letters but later moved to the University of Bonn after having an argument with one of his Professors

In March 1891 he received his Doctorate in Romance Philology

He married Antonietta Portulano in 1894 and later had two sons (Stefano and Fausto) and a daughter (Lietta)

Stefano volunteered for service during World War I only to be taken captive by the Austrians, but he was able to return after the war ended.

For many works such as Henry IV and War, his "bold and brilliant renovation of the drama and the stage" awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934

Pirandello was also nominated Academic of Italy in 1929 Pirandello died on 10 December 1936 at his home in

Rome.

Luigi Pirandello is a short story about a pair whose child has been directed to war. They board a sleeper to leave Rome, the parting spot for their sons and fresh men going off to war. The partner felt she was the only mother who mourned about her son leaving. All the travelers on this train have one or more treasured ones on the anterior in the war. This twosome, who boards the train, last, has their one and only son in war. The wife, specifically, is weeping the most. The other travellers ask what is the problem, only to be able relate to her grief.

War by Luigi Pirandello

Setting: Fabriano Italy, 1916Characterization: IndirectCharacters:The couple (a tiny man and bulky woman) grieving as their only son has been sent to

warFive other passengers, including:• a person whose son was sent on the first day of war• a person whose two sons and three nephews were sent to the front• a fat red-faced man who at first, denied sadness from his son being sent to the

war• a woman who helps to pull down the collar from the woman’s coat and asks: “Are

you alright, dear?”

Point -of –View:The story is told in an third person objective or

dramatic point-of-view

*a specific style of writing in which the author chooses to only share the action of a scene and not the internal thoughts or emotions of a character

Tone: Ironic• The passengers despite mourning for each of their

children or loved ones sent to war, tried to prove that their losses are greater than the others.

• After the fat man gives his speech, the ones mourning for their children’s death congratulate him for his son’s sacrifice.

• The fat man who at first seemed to be the most steadfast character and claims that he is not grieved by his son being sent to war, in the end, is the one who breaks out in tears.

Mood: Sombre*dismal; melancholy; dim, gloomy, or shadowy

The setting of the Night Express• “At dawn, in a stuffy and smoky second-class carriage…”• “… a bulky woman in deep mourning…:• “Behind her-puffing and moaning, followed her husband- a tiny man, thin

and weakly, his face death-white, his eyes small and bright and looking shy and uneasy.”

• “Nasty world,” muttered the husband with a sad smile.• “The woman under her big coat was twisting and wriggling, at times

growling like an animal… a shadow of sympathy…”

Style:The words used were simple and the

story itself is very short- but nonetheless achieved to tackle many issues that come with war, such as death, social responsibility and grief of those orphaned by loved ones

Figures of Speech Found in the Text:Simile

“… a bulky woman in deep mourning was hoisted in- almost like a shapeless bundle.”

“ The woman under the big coat was twisting and wriggling, at times growling like an animal…”

“Paternal love is not like bread that can be broken into pieces and split amongst the children in equal shares.”

“If country exists, if Country is a natural necessity, like bread, of which each of us must eat in order not to die of hunger…”

“Then suddenly… as if waking up from a dream, she turned to the old man…”

Alliteration• “… in a stuffy and smoky second-class carriage…”

Irony “And our sons go (die), when they are twenty, and they don’t want

tears…” “…if they die, they die inflamed and happy.” “…a shrill laugh which might well have been a sob.”

Metonymy “Now at our age, the love of our Country is still great, of course, but

stronger than it is the love of our children.”Metaphor

“…his face death-white…”Analogy

puffing and moaning twisting and wriggling Harrowing and heart-rending

Symbols in the TextNight- major setbacks in life - may be synonymous with death, rebirth, reflection, and new

beginningsTrain -represents conformity and being unable to go against what everyone

else is doing- A freight train refers to the burdens and problems that you are

hauling around. It is also symbolic of manual labor, while a passenger train relates to mental work.

Train Carriage-a symbol of power and statusSmoke-confusion and anxietyPassengers-having little control over one’s life to please othersMissing Teeth-represents emotional struggle and lack of support-denial of a certain problem’s depth and its implicationsCoat-protectiveness of one’s self, defense or isolation

Crying- To see someone else crying in your dream, may be a projection of your own

feelings onto someone else. If you do not cry in your waking life, then seeing someone else cry may be a little easier to deal with then seeing yourself cry.

Handkerchief-symbolizes tears and sadness-To see or use a handkerchief in your dream indicates that you will be

disgraced or embarrassed in some way while a used or soiled handkerchief symbolizes severed relationships.

Pocket-symbolizes secrets

Five-represents persuasiveness, spontaneity, boldness, daring nature, action, and humanity-represents the five human senses and thus may be telling you to be more "sensitive" to

reflect a change in a path or to alter a courseSmall Man-symbolizes powerlessnessLarge Woman-motherly feelings, child-like needsFat Person- “extra weight” may signify defense against the feelings of anxiety and inadequacy

Collar(or any part of clothing)-symbolizes public image or how you pose around

othersFawn Color-gentleness and a kind heart, sensitivityRed Face-passion or anger behind a defensive wall- the color red in your dream indicates a lack of energy.

You are feeling tired or lethargic.

Theme of the story

Humans believe what they want to believe, and will often resort to silencing others to strengthen their own beliefs.

Ego Defense MechanismMechanisms that help shield the ego from the conflicts created by the id,

superego, and reality

Defense Mechanism

These are psychological strategies brought into play by the unconscious mind to manipulate, deny, or distort reality in order to defend against feelings of anxiety

Humans are driven towards tension reduction, in order to reduce feelings of anxiety.

Healthy persons normally use different defences throughout life. The purpose of these mechanisms is to protect the mind/self/ego

from anxiety and/or to provide a refuge from a situation with which one cannot currently cope.

Anxiety

An aversive inner state that people seek to avoid or escape. Acts as a signal to the ego that things are not going right.

Three types of anxiety

Reality anxiety - the most basic form of anxiety which is rooted in reality or real events that may have happened or will happen to a person

Neurotic anxiety - results from the ego feeling overwhelmed by the id, which threatens to express its irrationality in thoughts and behavior

Moral Anxiety - results from fear of violating moral or societal codes

Responses to anxiety Problem solving efforts are increased Defense mechanisms are triggered

Defense Mechanisms

1. Repression2. Reaction Formation3. Rationalization4. Denial

Repression

Most basic and common defense mechanism Subconsciously hiding thoughts and forgetting traumatic events

have happened Can prevent unpleasant thoughts from becoming conscious Sometimes, only a small piece of information or memory is

“forgotten”

Reaction Formation

Reduces anxiety by taking up the opposite feeling, impulse or behavior

According to Freud, people are using reaction formation as a defense mechanism to hide their true feelings by behaving in the exact opposite manner.

“Everyone should stop crying, everyone should laugh, as I do”

Rationalization

A defense mechanism that involves explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner

Explanation is made consciously tolerable – or even admirable and superior – by plausible means

“If Country exists, if Country is a natural necessity, like bread, of which each of us must eat in order not to die of hunger, somebody must go to defend it.”

Denial

People seem unable to face reality or admit an obvious truth Functions to protect the ego from things that the individual

cannot cope with Requires a substantial investment of energy Because of this, other defenses are also used to keep these

unacceptable feelings from consciousness

Denial

In many cases, there might be overwhelming evidence that something is true

Yet the person will continue to deny its existence or truth because it is too uncomfortable to face

END