Preview

Nino Ricci's 'Lives Of The Saints'

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
926 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Nino Ricci's 'Lives Of The Saints'
Lives of the Saints Essay-Character Description (Cristina)

LIVES OF THE SAINTS ESSAY

Teacher: Ms. Haasen Student: Olga Yaremchuk Subject: English University Prep The novel “Lives of the Saints” by Nino Ricci describes the protagonist Cristina who is also known as the daughter of the mayor. Throughout the novel, her husband is in Canada preparing for the immigration of the family. Due to the villagers’ belief in superstition, Cristina is treated as a scapegoat for “acting like a princess”, after she was bitten by a snake while illustrating her infidelity by having sex with another man. Cristina dies in the end on the ship to America after giving birth to the daughter of the man she had an affair with. This essay will look upon …show more content…
Even though Cristina betrayed her husband by having sex with the blue-eyed man, she doesn’t deserve to be treated as a curse and rejected by the villagers. She is in fact the victim in this story. In the novel, Cristina’s husband is described as “always right, there’s no way to talk to him; the only way he knows how to talk is with the back of his hand. Now he sends me money because he’s too proud to admit he was fired.” It is seen that she did not really love her husband and because he was so far away, in a way that made her affair reasonable to some extents. The villagers and even the doctor on the ship thought Cristina “acts like a princess”. This could be because she is the daughter of the mayor in the villagers’ eyes but it does not explain the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Summary of Las Hijas de Juan: Daughters Betrayed
    • 1851 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Summary of Las Hijas de Juan: Daughters Betrayed

    Josie Mendez-Negrete’s novel, Las Hijas de Juan: Daughters Betrayed, is a very disturbing tale about brutal domestic abuse and incest. Negrete’s novel is an autobiography regarding experiences of incest in a working-class Mexican American family. It is Josie Mendez-Negrete’s story of how she, her siblings, and her mother survived years of violence and sexual abuse at the hands of her father. “Las Hijas de Juan" is told chronologically, from the time Mendez-Negrete was a child until she was a young adult trying, along with the rest of her family, to come to terms with her father 's brutal legacy. It is a upsetting story of abuse and shame compounded by cultural and linguistic isolation and a system of patriarchy that devalues the experiences of women and girls. At the same time, "Las Hijas de Juan" is an inspirational tale, filled with strong women and hard-won solace found in traditional Mexican cooking, songs, and storytelling.…

    • 1851 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Woman Hollering Creek Summary
    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Woman Hollering Creek Summary

    The story “Woman Hollering Creek” is about a woman named Cleófilas, a lover of telenovelas, who married a man named Juan Pedro Martínez Sánchez. At first, Cleófilas thought her life would be perfect and follow the same structure such as the telenovelas she watched once she married a man. However, it was the exact opposite because she had married an abusive man who would cheat on her. When she was taken to the hospital with her second child, the nurses saw the signs of abuse and one of the nurses, Graciela, called her friend Felice to take Cleófilas back to Mexico to her father. As Cleófilas was on her way, she was fascinated by Felice and made her happy to be away from her husband.…

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Delia In Sweat
    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Delia In Sweat

    The story starts with the protagonist, Delia, as she is sorting clothes at her home. She is wondering where her husband, Sykes is since he has her horse and working equipment. She feels something like a snake fall around her shoulders and screams, only to look up and see her husband standing over her with the bullwhip he uses to ride the horses.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Edna Pontelli's The Awakening
    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Edna Pontelli's The Awakening

    In 19th century, the society was dominated by male. Edna Pontellier was the wife of Mr. Portlier who was a creole. In French upper class society, the purpose of life for female was taught to be fond of their husbands and children. Woman at that time never lived for themselves. Mrs. Pontellier's friend, Adele Ratignolle, was considered as the perfect woman in the society, because she was a great woman who treated her children better than herself.…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Giovanni Boccacio's The Plague
    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Giovanni Boccacio's The Plague

    The Plague is a disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. It is responsible for killing millions of people in the Middle Ages. However, today we have a cure for it. The author Giovanni Boccacio wrote The Decameron to report, warn, and record the disease. He wanted people to be aware of what happened. The disease spread from place to place, animal to human, human to human. The people around it were aware that it was spreading and understood that is was “contagious”. As a result, they got rid of the infected bodies after they passed and kept the sickened away by barring them from the city. There was no cure for the disease that they could find, which is why so many people died. I think by saying “the nature of the disease did not allow for any cure” might simply mean they put their faith into God and it was not accepted. As for “ignorance of physicians”,…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ricci's Influence On The Italian Christianpriest
    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ricci's Influence On The Italian Christianpriest

    Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuitpriest born of a noble family on the 6th of October 1552, in Macerata, Italy. He was attracted to the Jesuit religious order and, in opposition to his father's wishes, he joined the Society of Jesus. Along with his studies in philosophy and theology, he also studied mathematics, cosmology, and astronomy under the guidance of Clavius.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gender Roles In The Bloody Chamber
    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gender Roles In The Bloody Chamber

    She is a naïve virgin who excitedly marries a shallow rich and emotionless Marquis. She comes from a family who is not quite poor but with limited financial resources you need to get married to survive; she is aware that marquis is well endowed and insists that although she cannot resist him but does not love him; the marriage is simply how it ought to be. But, choosing to be swept away by glamour and wealth she continues to ignore the dangers. She always mentions how every time she looks at him he looks as though he is hiding behind a mask and it isn’t until the opera where she realizes one expression, lust; he sees her only as a sexual object. At the time this makes her excited due to her naivety, this is made clear when she says she recalls, "for the first time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away." (11 Carter) Not aware that targeted her for her innocence and how easy it would be to corrupt her young mind. Showering her with symbols of bad luck (the opal ring) and doom (Ruby Chocker) unaware that him and his staff are always maintaining a gaze upon her; waiting for her to make mistakes so he could punish her. As time goes on, the more time she spends more time with her husband the excitement fades into loneliness and feelings of oppression; always performing for her husband and being molded by all…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Who Is John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums: Gender Criticism
    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Who Is John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums: Gender Criticism

    While on the way to dinner with her husband Elisa finally realizes that she had been taken advantage of. She sees that the handy man has discarded her beloved chrysanthemums in the ditch on the side of the road. She realizes that the man used flattery of her and her flowers to get work. This realization makes her break down and cry. She then understands that she is doomed to her current role in society, a passive woman, and she hates it.…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Salvatore Riine: A Short Story
    • 220 Words
    • 1 Page

    Salvatore Riine: A Short Story

    "No! No!" I scream to the top of my lungs as I see the limbless bodies on the floor red spilling out of Their temples like... temples like a sea.…

    • 220 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Spanish Conflict
    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Spanish Conflict

    After the two families move in together in the Malibu beach house, Cristina becomes exposed to the American way of life. Deborah decides to take her on a day outing without asking Flor for permission. She left a note, written in English for Flor. The note stated that she was stealing her daughter for the day. Cristina returned with…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Characterization of Curleys Wife of Mice and Man
    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Characterization of Curleys Wife of Mice and Man

    She reminices of unhappiness in her marriage because her husband seems to care little for her, and is really more interested in talking about himself than anything else. Which seems like something she is impossible to intake. She is so self-obessed and loves to talk about her self whenever possible. She flirts deliberately with the ranch hands and does little to hide these flirtations from her husband. Knowingly causing the ranch hands to suffer Curley’s hot-headed, glove-wearing wrath.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Country Lovers” and “What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl”
    • 2170 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Country Lovers” and “What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl”

    In the short story about the “Country Lovers” and the Poem “What it’s like to be a Black Girl”, the actions of a racial background and ethical dilemmas are both represented and distinguished by the representation of a black female. Which is the main dynamic character seeded in both literary works. Both of these female static characters deal with to some suppressed amount of discrimination from society, because due to their race or as we could say the color of their skin; it is all about the dilemma of being a black female.…

    • 2170 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alibrandi Essay
    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Alibrandi Essay

    During the course of her H.S.C year at St Martha’s, Josephine Alibrandi changes her understanding of the people around her, the people whom she loves including Nonna, Christina, Michael, John and Jacob in many ways she never thought possible. Throughout the novel, Josephine or Josie to the people close to her also changes from a selfish, uncaring teenager to a caring, more sensitive young woman whose feelings towards others become more apparent and noticeable. Her life is turned upside down in one year, and she learns to change, and adjust to change in others.…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Lives of the Saints
    • 250 Words
    • 1 Page

    Lives of the Saints

    All characters in the book “Lives of the Saints” are treated differently, which causes some of them to have a lot of stress. The characters all have different perspectives in religion, myth, superstition, and Folklore. It’s a characters belief in religion, myth, superstition or Folklore which determines how characters are treated. The book is extremely interesting and fun to read because of all the stress the author puts into it. For example Cristina is treated differently or looked at differently, because of her lack of interest or understanding for religion. Vittorio is bullied, and made fun of because of his lack of understanding of his surroundings and his strong belief in myths. These are just some of the reasons why so many different characters are treated so differently.…

    • 250 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lives of Saints: Christina's Strength in Resisting Society's Demands
    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Lives of Saints: Christina's Strength in Resisting Society's Demands

    Lives of the Saints, it is only the most tenacious that can resist caving in to…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics