The need for effective resistance, and a banding together of citizens against states that engage in armed conflict is one of the dominant themes of "War."
Pirandello's use of an omniscient, observing and dispassionate narrative voice enables him to switch focus, midway through the very short story, and turn the reader's attention to a large, overweight man who makes a somewhat incoherent argument for the importance of sacrificing one's children for the Country. He says that sons and daughters do not belong to their parents, but to their Country, and it is natural and fitting "decent" boys would consider their love for their country greater than their love for their parents. Similarly, he notes that every parent would take his or her boy's place on the front lines, again out of love for the Country. 'Country' for citizens is as necessary as bread, the man says (Pirandello 107).
However, while the passengers nod at the man's fine rhetoric, the reader is quickly alerted to the fact that Pirandello, despite his...
.. It is our only son, ventured the husband." (Pirandello, 1918, line 35). The fat man contradicts the husband of the bulky woman who does nothing but sob: "What difference does it make? You can spoil your only son with excessive attentions, but you cannot love him more than you would all your other children if you had any" (Pirandello, 1918, lines 36-38). He evokes the loss of his son,
Pirandello's self-conscious use of the nature of theater and the way people play roles in the theater and in family life was considered revolutionary at the time. His title "Six Characters in Search of an Author" stressed the fact that the fourth wall between the audience and the actors was being broken down in the construct of the drama itself, not merely alluded to, as in a Shakespearean soliloquy
According to Parsons (2003), "Coincident with the growing avant-garde fascination with silent film, cinema was becoming the ultimate embodiment of modern mass culture" (90). The "modern mass culture" that was emerging in Europe at this time was a reactionary one that became known as a bohemian lifestyle that was personified by Valle-Inclan. In this regard, his biographer emphasizes that, "His behavior at the time showed contempt for the rational world
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now