a small assignment on Christ in Concrete

If you haven't read Christ in Concrete by Pietro diDonato, get thee to a Barnes and Noble and pick up a copy asap. It's a heart-wrenching little-known gem about the proletariat immigrant experience. Think "The Jungle" from a kid's point of view. It was written in the 1930's just like The Grapes of Wrath; however unlike Grapes of Wrath, which is a staple on every high school reading list, Christ in Concrete inexplicably faded into obscurity. Let's bring it back to public consciousness.


HUI333
Kightlinger
3 January 2005

Writing Assignment #2

In order to fully understand the character of Annunziata that the reader sees in the final scene of the novel, it is necessary to look at several of the aspects of her upbringing, cultural inheritance and religious beliefs. All Annunziata has ever cared about is her family, friends, and above all Jesus and religion. She has been raised in a kind of Catholic bubble of extreme faith and trust in Jesus: according to her and the paisanos who share her beliefs, every single action or experience in their daily lives is either in reference to or guided by Jesus. After having lost Geremio, she has transferred her hope and faith to Paul, making him “head-chair of the table”(227), constantly saying prayers for him, and blessing him with the sign of the cross. Annunziata turns to Christ constantly; in her mind, though it seems He cannot help them right at this moment and the family may suffer tremendously on this earth, her constant devotion and prayers will at least bring them eternal salvation in Heaven.

Paul’s bitterness and subsequent denial of his faith comes full-circle in the final scene of the novel. He has been bombarded with inconsistencies, having witnessed tragedy after tragedy in spite of everyone’s constant prayers for salvation and protection. He is sick of what he considers to be excuses, ultimately using religion to justify these tragedies or smooth them over. We can also make note of the “message” from the dead Geremio which the Cripple imparts to them – that of Geremio’s wanting Annunziata to join him in Paradise, when “all the children grow up”(115). Paul himself is growing up — not just emotionally and mentally in terms of dealing with the harsh realities of life, but he is also going through puberty and his pent-up sexual frustrations become yet another catalyst for the argument with Annunziata. Interestingly also in the final scene there are pointed suggestions of Paul’s sister Annina becoming a woman and taking the place of Annunziata by ‘speaking as a woman’ and sitting in Annunziata’s rocking chair (233). This calls attention to the fact that the children are, at least to some extent, old enough to take care of themselves.

In the final scene, during the heat of their argument, Paul verbally reduces Annunziata’s adored and revered crucifix to nothing but plaster and wood (231). This of course does nothing to change Annunziata’s mind about her beliefs; rather, she becomes even more horrified as Paul’s frustration leads him to actually break the crucifix into pieces. This is the most crucial part of the scene, because this physical destruction of the cross is a symbolic loss of faith for both characters: for Paul, it is the culmination of his utter renouncement of Catholicism — for Annunziata, the crushing of the crucifix is somewhat metaphorical for the “breaking” of Annunziata’s spirit. Though she has gone through so much (Geremio’s death, extreme poverty, eight children, the loss of Luigi’s leg), she has always been strong enough to pull through and hold everything together because of the power of her faith. Once her son’s faith is broken, she feels as though he is lost to her, and has grown beyond her control. Annunziata feels that she must punish herself for not having done enough to keep Paul on the straight and narrow path; perhaps she also subconsciously recognizes the fact that he has grown beyond her control. In her mind, she has done all she can do for Paul in terms of instilling a strong foundation of and dependency on Christianity. Because this has backfired on her and her faith is compromised, she therefore also loses her strength to go on living, perhaps thinking it is time to fulfill the cripple’s prophecy and join Geremio in Paradise.