«È un uomo in crisi». The role of women in Silone's novels

Abstract

This article examines the female co-protagonists in the five main novels published by Ignazio Silone and demonstrates how they play a decisive role—yet not so far sufficiently studied by scholars—in the growth of the protagonist. A re-reading of the plots, aimed at highlighting the role of women, is followed by a general reflection showing that, just as the male protagonists are the different facets of a single character often associated with Silone himself, the female figures also seem to represent each a trait of a single female character, perhaps inspired by the author’s mother whom he lost while still a teenager.