Society’s DemandsLives of Saints: Christina’s Strength In Resisting Society’s DemandsAs you grow older it is inevitable that you will change in many ways. As amatter of fact it is impossible to survive without the ability to adapt tosituations and surroundings. This ability is acquired as you age, learn andexperience life. It is a part of growing up and society demands that you adaptand conform to their mores and customs. It is always difficult to veer from thepath of uniformity which society leads.
Many times you are able to slip byunnoticed with a minor variance from this path. However, when someone decides toblatantly blaze their own trail, often society makes their further growth anddevelopment a difficult task. As a result the community only toleratesacquiescence and conformity. Like the character Cristina in Nino Ricci’s novelLives of the Saints, it is only the most tenacious that can resist caving in tothe pressure. Often, this deviance can harm others, not just the dissident. Vittorio iscontinually badgered for the deeds his mother performed, and he is too innocentto realize that, her independence of spirit is the reason.
As well, Cristina’sfather does not see past the cloud which has slowly been built up in Valle delSole. The cloud which prevents most people from seeing how the failure to be anindividual rules the town, and how anyone with the nerve to be unique isostracized. Cristina’s father’s failure to understand this leads to the declineand eventually their total destruction of the family structure. In many ways, the story of the character Cristina in the novel is similarto the story of Saint Christina.
They both endure considerable suffering forstanding up for their beliefs. In both cases they have whole villages opposingthem, and neither of them give in, thus proving how strong they are. In the end,Santa Christina and Cristina end up leaving behind these villages for a betterexistence. The villagers continuous attention to whatever Cristina does, prevents herfrom living her life as she would like. Cristina’s only choice is to keep toherself and go about the tedious and repetitive housework she does day in andday out.
This prevents any advance in her development and growth, she is leftlike a skipping record playing the same thing over and over, not making anyprogress in her life. In Nino Ricci’s novel Lives of the Saints, Cristina’s surprising strengthto resist society’s demands is vital in showing how society can control people. In today’s world one must realize this and learn to take it in stride. Everyonemust grow and change, it is a fact of life and a necessity as much as sex is.Society should not be the only influence to the way an individual thinks or acts,because who really decides what is acceptable or not in “society’s” eyes?English
