Question and Answers on Roman Fever
1. In what ways is setting reflective in Roman Fever.
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2. Why are there so many references to scavengers and decay in The Snow of Kilimanjaro
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3. What is the significance of the foot-washing scene in Flowering Judas?
0 The title of the story suggests its religious symbolism. Judas, the betrayer, supposedly hanged himself from a redbud tree. In Laura’s dream, Eugenio offers the flowers of the Judas tree, which she readily devours. The dream indicates the guilt she feels as a result of her amoral activity. The guilt, suppressed during her conscious hours, comes forth in a parody of religious ritual, much like the washing of Braggioni’s feet by his wife. Laura’s dream thus embodies the story’s themes in a highly charged symbolic language.
Braggioni's Wife: Woman totally devoted to Braggioni. When he is absent for a long time, she languishes. When he returns, she washes his feet, a practice referred to in the Bible (John, Chapter 13, Verses 1-15; First Epistle of Paul to Timothy, Chapter 5, Verse 10). It is interesting to note that Mrs. Braggioni's fanatical commitment to her husband is the antipodes of Laura's lack of commitment to anything.
Betrayal.......The main theme of the short story is betrayal–Laura’s betrayal of her religion, the revolutionary movement, her students, and most of all herself. True, she enters a church on occasion to pray, and she runs errands on behalf of the Marxist insurgents. Moreover, she earns the respect and love of her students. However, in all of her activities, she lacks enthusiasm and commitment; she refuses to give fully of herself. This reluctance to bind herself to an ideal or a cause mirrors her attitude toward the men who woo her. She refuses to involve herself with any of them. In the end, she eats the flowers of the Judas tree (in a dream), confirming her betrayal of her ideals and humanity in general. Braggioni also commits the sin of betrayal. Although he leads revolutionaries dedicated to improving the lot of the
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2. Why are there so many references to scavengers and decay in The Snow of Kilimanjaro
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3. What is the significance of the foot-washing scene in Flowering Judas?
0 The title of the story suggests its religious symbolism. Judas, the betrayer, supposedly hanged himself from a redbud tree. In Laura’s dream, Eugenio offers the flowers of the Judas tree, which she readily devours. The dream indicates the guilt she feels as a result of her amoral activity. The guilt, suppressed during her conscious hours, comes forth in a parody of religious ritual, much like the washing of Braggioni’s feet by his wife. Laura’s dream thus embodies the story’s themes in a highly charged symbolic language.
Braggioni's Wife: Woman totally devoted to Braggioni. When he is absent for a long time, she languishes. When he returns, she washes his feet, a practice referred to in the Bible (John, Chapter 13, Verses 1-15; First Epistle of Paul to Timothy, Chapter 5, Verse 10). It is interesting to note that Mrs. Braggioni's fanatical commitment to her husband is the antipodes of Laura's lack of commitment to anything.
Betrayal.......The main theme of the short story is betrayal–Laura’s betrayal of her religion, the revolutionary movement, her students, and most of all herself. True, she enters a church on occasion to pray, and she runs errands on behalf of the Marxist insurgents. Moreover, she earns the respect and love of her students. However, in all of her activities, she lacks enthusiasm and commitment; she refuses to give fully of herself. This reluctance to bind herself to an ideal or a cause mirrors her attitude toward the men who woo her. She refuses to involve herself with any of them. In the end, she eats the flowers of the Judas tree (in a dream), confirming her betrayal of her ideals and humanity in general. Braggioni also commits the sin of betrayal. Although he leads revolutionaries dedicated to improving the lot of the