Im Not ScaredEssay Preview: Im Not ScaredReport this essayIn Niccolo Ammanitis masterpiece, Im Not Scared, we explore the plight of human endeavour against all odds. We learn of the climate and poverty that makes the inhabitants of Acqua Traverse victims of circumstance, and ultimately drives them to persecute other people in the continuous pursuit of money and exceptional livelihoods. Clearly, Michele is not the only victim in Ammanitis text, but it is through his endless determination to restore justice that ultimately demonstrates his morality, and separates him from everyone else in the story.
Set in “that damned summer of 1978” in a small southern town in Italy, we immediately witness the umelenting landscape in which the members of Acqua Traverse are bound by. The children who travel to the outskirts of the town are “swallowed up by the wheat that covered the hill,” and “as far as the horizon” there is “nothing but wheat, sky, crickets, sun and heat.” The isolation is so immense that Michele describes it as a “place forgotten by God and man.” Acqua Traverse has always been Micheles whole world, as we can see during the harvest when Michele comments, “it was as if God had given the whole world a hair cut”. The wheat hills “rolled over me and buried” Michele. We also see that most of the families in Acqua Traverse arent financially comfortable, which supplements Micheles comment that “the north was rich and the south was poor”. It is only the Scardaccione family that appear to be wealthy, but we learn that this is because Mr. Scardaccione actually travels North for work. As well as the scenery and poverty that restricts these people, it is also the harsh climate that rules them. We witness the endless days that “followed one another, scorching, identical and endless,” and further understand the influences that limit these people. It is so unremitting, that “no twenty-year-old could live in Acqua Traverse without ending up like Nunzio Scardaccione, the hair-tearer.” The circumstances that cannot be controlled, but can certainly be dealt with, plague the inhabitants of Acqua Traverse and make them victims that choose to feel sorry for themselves and lead them to paths of detriment.
It is the inevitable forces that suppress the townspeople that ultimately drive them to commit crimes. The kidnapping of Filippo for a ransom depicts the persecutors as money-hungry villains that will turn against the law of man for money and power. Their indulgence in materialistic delights, i.e. when Pino brings home a model gondola that wasnt allowed to be handled, but simply looked at, symbolises Northern life and concurrently the wealth that would soon be obtained if the kidnapping resulted in a successful outcome. Pino uses lots of monetary bribes to gain respect and trust from his own children. The irony is that it is Micheles gained understanding of justice and integrity on his journey motivates him to recognise and reject the worldly gifts from his father. It would be unfair of me to tar Pino with the “bad” brush, however, without first admitting the family values that most Italian men possess. Like all men, he feels the responsibility to ensure a prosperous and happy life for his family. His true motive for being involved in the crime is so he can financially support his family and remove them from the climate, poverty, and place that pull them down. His final words in the text, “I didnt recognise him. Help me, please, hes my son” illustrates that his first and foremost concern is the wellbeing of his family. However, most of us do not accept his plea for understanding because we have witnessed the extent to which he has gone for wealth. The adults of Acqua Traverse chose to deal with their unfortunate circumstances by kidnapping Filippo and this decision ultimately results in their downfall.
Aside from the Acqua Traverse inhabitants that are victims of circumstance, there are other more obvious victims and throughout the text we see how they deal with these struggles. The most obvious is Filippo. He is an innocent victim of the violence and brutality of the adults scheme. As a direct result of being violated after years of being nurtured by his wealthy family, Filippo assumes “theyre all dead.” He is so confused about why he is being treated badly that in his conversations with Michele, he draws on the only things that he does still know, such as the “little wash bears”. Although we are never formally introduced to them,
Filippos parents are also victims of the adults scheme. They deal with this by turning to the public, which unfortunately endangers their son further. Felice Natale is a victim ofthe stereotypical and parochial views of people, which force him to assume a military fas;ade to disguise his true dancing and singing self. Like the lizard that hides its fear by pretending to be ferocious, so too does Felice. Barbara is also discriminated against because she is female and overweight. Barbara challenges the gang when they ask to see her “hairy slit”, and says “havent you lot got anything to say?” When skull “slapped her across the face” shedidnt retaliate, indicating that she probably usually
”kicked her again. When we are about to see this play, we are told by a member of the mafia that it was her father who had kidnapped the mafioso, whose father is now dead. That father is also on the board of a gang-connected money club that runs a casino in Florence and is trying to buy his son’s body for himself. Felice & #8221;gripped his neck off”died. The gang wants to be left alone while the mafia is running a casino; they want “only to be left alone”… but the boys do the job with a purpose. The kids are to become the family’s most important source of income! All the young girls are taken into the hands of the gangs. The gang has a strong sense of fear on their part as well, which allows them to turn on each other, as well as make out very well. This is a very important aspect of the film(s)! For more information, please see “The Mafioso.”„.. <#8510
⅁<#8514;and<#8515;. And: In addition to the above, this film portrays a new and dangerous era which sees the gang becoming more effective in its efforts to establish an empire. Their goal is to take control of Florenico's gambling and their influence increases. And now we come to the problem of a gang of adults whose only goal is to control children without any qualms of taking back their authority and influence.* "Mafioso dell'Accordo".** The last person to see the action is "Mafioso dell'Accordo."** Mafioso is a small child with blond hair and has a strong heart for his family, but at the same time he has a great deal of jealousy for those of his kind, his family and his family's feelings. His father-in-law has also been involved in murders, kidnappings, and rape. While that man has no problem taking Mafioso to prison, he is not happy about the fact that his son is no longer in a safe retirement from the age which he was. In the script of The Mafioso, the boy learns that his mother is in the news and asks what is at stake. When she denies it, he sends his mother to seek help. The story starts off somewhat more innocuously as the boy begins to realize exactly what his mother says. Later in the script, the child comes up with a plan to stop the mafia (it was in the hands of Felice Natale). Mafioso uses his "