Write 500 words analyzing the role of one character in the novel and how the author uses them to convey ideas about National Identity.

Write 500 words analyzing the role of one character in the novel and how the author uses them to convey ideas about National Identity.

The author uses Captain Antonio Corelli to convey to us the ideas about his national identity. He is an Italian captain in the novel and although the he is the title of the novel, he is introduced very much after the beginning of the book. It is almost half way through the book when he is introduced.
The very first time we read about him is when he orders his platoon to turn their heads and stare at Pelagia, whom he describes as “Bella Bambina.” The actual quote from the book is “Bella Bambina at nine o’clock,” he shouted, “E-y-e-s left.” From this we can see that Corelli was a silly character and also knowing that he is an officer of an invading force, we can see that Italians were disorganized, chaotic and didn’t take this seriously at all.
Before we see this we also see that the Italian army “disembarked apologetically” when they are an invading force and should be authoritative and forceful. This can be seen from “Down in the harbours the men of the Acqui Division disembarked apologetically from their landing craft and waved cheerfully but diffidently to the people in the doorways.” They are the exact opposite of the German army. They are cheerful when they are entering an island which they must conquer and the soldiers are waving at the local people. We also see that there was no organization or planning before the invasion of the island. We can also see that they are very relaxed and are ambling by. This can all be seen from “platoons of paratroopers ambling by, their commanders consulting maps”. This gives us an idea of how a typical Italian soldier would be. From this we can infer that the Italians are humorous people who do not take things very seriously.
From all the information we see about the Italian invasion force and the national identity of Italians match to Corelli. Corelli’s role in the book is the person who replaces the people who 2 other characters loved. Firstly there is Carlo, who loved Francesco but now loves Corelli and secondly there is Pelagia, who loved Mandras previously but now loves Corelli. In this role he shows us his national identity both when he is with Carlo and when he is with Pelagia.
Firstly, when he is with Carlo and his platoon, he had created “La Scala” which is a group of his soldiers who meet and sing in the latrines. This shows us a kind of comical view of Corelli and his platoon. Corelli had even made rankings with musical terms such as ‘breve’ or ‘semibreve’. Also, in Carlo’s description of Corelli, we can see that he doesn’t take life very seriously, carefree, humorous and exaggerated. We can also see that he is flamboyant and that he loves children, women and singing. This can bee seen from “prone to dramatic exaggeration….always larger than his circumstance….say things for the sake of their value as amusement, with an ironic disregard for the truth…observed life with raised eyebrows…..had none of that fragile self-pride that prevents a man from telling jokes against himself.” And “He adored children, and I saw him kiss a little girl on the head…..he loved to make pretty women giggle by snapping his heels together and saluting them with a military precision so consummate that it came over as a mockery of everything soldierly….His battery had a latrine known as ‘La Scala’ because he had a little opera club that shat together there at the same time every morning”.
Secondly, when Corelli is with Pelagia, he is always making her laugh and never gets angry at her no matter how hard she tries. For example, when Pelagia soaked his pistol in water to make it rust and was caught, “her heart galloped painfully with fear and anxiety” but Corelli didn’t give the reaction Pelagia wanted. He just said “I suppose you have done me a favor. I should have dismantled it for cleaning and oiling a long time ago” and lets it pass. He doesn’t take this seriously and punish Pelagia. Also he acts silly around her. Some examples are when he “tied a cork to a piece of strinf, and sprinted about the house with Psipsina in hot pursuit” and when he “sprang dancing to his feet, capering ridiculously and crying ‘I won, I won’”.
Therefore, the author uses Corelli’s role in the novel to show us the national identity of a typical Italian.