IB English HL I

Malashewski

Marxist Literary Criticism:

The Lying Life of Adults

Directions
Break into small groups. Make a copy of this doc and share with your group. Discuss these
questions as a group, working through your annotations and sharing your insights.

Aim to find a few examples for each question (page references / very short quotes fine). Focus
on elements of fiction, diction, and figurative language.

1. How is the industrial district where Vittoria lives described by others, and how does it
reflect class tensions?
a. To what extent does Vittoria take on the qualities of the neighborhood in which
she lives? Why might that be significant?

- Their home is described to be stinky and dull. It is located at the bottom of their hill and
they just physically put themselves beneath their home to reach Vittoria’s neighborhood
and from Nella’s directions, it sounds like it is also very far from where Giovanna lives,
possibly to represent the gap between her family’s class and Vittoria's position.

2. How would you characterize Andrea’s feelings about where he grew up? What do you
notice about the moments when he focuses on his past?
a. Why does he feel the need to deny or erase his connection to his upbringing?
- Emotions that he hasn’t resolved and how that he received no love or respect in a
environment
- He broke ties with being authentic in favor of lying about who you are to be successful

3. What is the connection between the use of Italian, Neapolitan (dialect), and class?
a. How is vulgarity and ugliness connected to ideas about class?

- Considered ugly and stinky because there is no filter and therefore no thought or
sophistication
- Neapolitan dilate implies a more informal matter in the sense of letting loose of
composure. This is seen as Andrea only uses Neapolitan when he is very upset other
than that he thinks through what he does and says acting professional and collected.

4. To what extent is “truth” connected to dialect, vulgarity, and ugliness? And why do you
think that might be the case?
“We two are made like that, when we have good thoughts we’re pretty, but we turn ugly with
mean ones” (114).
- Ugliness is associated with the lower classes, especially in Giovanna’s eyes. She sees
herself growing more distant from the upper class she grew up in and accepting what
she calls her own “ugliness”
- Oftenly being honest can be seen as rude and improper; this is exactly how authenticity
is seen in the novel. Vittoria embodies truth and through this she is sought out to be a
villain because she’s unafraid to be judged for who she really is and for saying things as
is. Rather than uphold a proper image of herself. Vittoria sets herself free; this
accumulation of freedom is perceived as ugly.