Synopsis
Covers the whole plot, including the ending.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Pacing
- Moderate
- Mood
- Introspective, Melancholy, Intense, Realistic, Socially Critical
- Read it if
- You enjoy deep character studies, complex female friendships, and a vivid portrayal of post-war Italian society with strong feminist undertones.
- Skip it if
- You prefer fast-paced plots with clear resolutions or shy away from emotionally intense narratives and moral ambiguity.
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay Plot Summary
Covers the whole plot, including the ending.
Elena's New Life and Lila's Hardship
Elena Greco (Lenù) has found literary success with her first novel and lives in Florence. She is engaged to Pietro Airota, a professor from a prominent intellectual family. Despite her new life, she often thinks about her childhood friend, Raffaella Cerullo (Lila), who works in a sausage factory, IMES, under harsh conditions. Lila left her husband Stefano Carracci and her lover Nino Sarratore. She lives in a poor, rat-infested basement apartment with her young son, Gennaro. Elena visits Lila in Naples and is upset by the squalor and how much the factory work has aged Lila. Lila's experiences at IMES, including harassment, show the realities faced by working-class women in 1970s Naples.
The Factory Struggle and Political Awakening
Lila, despite her initial hesitation, becomes a key figure in the workers' fight at IMES. She is driven by the terrible conditions and the need to protect her son and co-workers. She documents the abuses and exploitation, eventually working with Pasquale Peluso and Michele Solara, who own the factory and are involved in local politics. This involvement connects her to the growing communist and feminist movements, though her reasons are more personal than political. Elena sees Lila's change, noting her friend's intelligence and resilience, even in difficult situations. Lila's activism draws attention from various political groups, making her already unstable life more complicated.
Elena's Marriage and Intellectual Discontent
Elena marries Pietro Airota in a high-profile ceremony. She enjoys the security and intellectual stimulation of her new family, but she feels restless. Her in-laws, especially Pietro's mother, Adele, are supportive but also subtly critical, and Elena struggles with the expectations of being a professor's wife and a published author. She has two daughters, Adele and Dede, but finds motherhood isolating, feeling her intellectual life stifled by home duties. Despite her success, Elena feels a constant sense of not being enough and a desire for something more real, often comparing her comfortable but unfulfilling life to Lila's raw existence.
Lila's Photography Studio and Marcello Solara's Influence
After the factory struggles, Lila leaves IMES and, with Michele Solara's help, opens a photography studio with Enzo Scanno, a childhood friend and admirer who has always been loyal to her. Enzo provides stability and a quiet presence in Lila's life, helping her raise Gennaro. However, her connection to the Solara family, particularly Michele, remains strong and unclear. Michele Solara, a powerful and dangerous figure linked to organized crime, influences Lila's new business and her life, offering protection but also demanding loyalty. This new professional life gives Lila a different kind of independence but keeps her within the neighborhood's darker influences.
Elena's Political Engagement and Feminist Circles
Elena becomes more involved in the feminist movement, attending meetings and trying to express her experiences as a woman and an author. She publishes articles and takes part in public discussions, trying to balance her intellectual goals with her home life and working-class background. However, she often feels like an outsider among the more radical feminists, struggling to find her voice and feeling a gap between her theoretical understanding and her actual life. Her political involvement is often tied to her ongoing fascination with Lila, whose unfiltered experiences seem to embody the struggles Elena tries to intellectualize.
The Solaras' Growing Power and Neighborhood Dynamics
The Solara brothers, Michele and Marcello, continue to grow their influence and wealth, becoming powerful figures in the neighborhood and beyond. Their businesses, including the photography studio and various real estate projects, give them control over many parts of the residents' lives. The Solaras show how legal business and crime are intertwined in Naples, and their presence affects both Elena and Lila. Their power impacts everyone, from small shopkeepers to factory workers, and their actions often determine the opportunities and limits available to the characters, reminding Elena of her origins' inescapable hold.
Lila's Deteriorating Health and Elena's Visit
Lila gets seriously ill with hepatitis, a result of her harsh living and working conditions. Elena, hearing of her friend's critical state, returns to Naples, leaving her family in Florence. This visit highlights the deep and lasting bond between the two women. Elena sees Lila's vulnerability, a contrast to her usual independence. She helps care for Lila and Gennaro, providing much-needed support. During this time, Elena thinks deeply about their complex friendship, recognizing how Lila has always been both an inspiration and a source of pain, a constant reminder of the life Elena escaped and the parts of herself she cannot abandon.
The Earthquake and the Disappearance of Tina
Naples is hit by a devastating earthquake, causing widespread damage and fear. Afterward, a terrible event happens: Lila's young daughter, Tina, mysteriously disappears. Tina, a quiet and intelligent child, vanishes without a trace, leaving Lila and Enzo heartbroken. This tragedy shatters Lila, pushing her to despair and emphasizing the novel's themes of loss, vulnerability, and the unpredictable nature of life in their neighborhood. Tina's disappearance becomes a central, unsolved mystery that deeply affects Lila's future actions and thoughts, casting a long shadow over her efforts to find stability and happiness.
Elena's Affair with Nino Sarratore
Elena meets Nino Sarratore, Lila's former lover and Elena's childhood crush, at a literary conference. Nino, now a successful and charming academic, captivates Elena. Despite being married with children, Elena feels a strong attraction to him, reigniting old desires. They begin an affair, which Elena initially sees as an escape from her suffocating marriage and a validation of her intellectual and emotional needs. This affair represents Elena's search for a passionate, idealized love, a contrast to the stability of her marriage to Pietro. It also reflects Lila's past involvement with Nino, showing the recurring nature of their shared experiences and desires.
The Collapse of Elena's Marriage
Elena's affair with Nino grows, consuming her thoughts and actions. She becomes more distant from Pietro and her daughters. The emotional stress and her growing desire to be with Nino lead to a confrontation with Pietro, who eventually finds out about her infidelity. The marriage breaks down painfully, resulting in Elena leaving Pietro and her children to be with Nino. This decision is a radical change from her carefully built life, marking a major turning point in her personal journey. She gives up the security and intellectual respectability she had for a chance at a passionate, though uncertain, future with Nino, echoing Lila's own impulsive choices in love.
Lila's Resignation and Tina's Absence
After Tina's disappearance, Lila withdraws further, though she continues to run the photography studio with Enzo. The unsolved mystery of her daughter's fate leaves a lasting mark on her. She seems to accept her sorrow with a quiet, almost resigned attitude. Enzo remains her steady companion, providing unwavering support and love. Lila's life becomes less chaotic, marked by a deep internal pain rather than external struggles. Tina's absence is a constant presence, shaping Lila's worldview and her interactions with others, leaving her with a lasting sense of loss that even her resilience cannot fully overcome.
Elena and Nino's New Beginning and Doubts
Elena and Nino start their new life together, initially filled with their rediscovered love. Elena moves to Naples to be with him, leaving her Florentine life behind. However, the initial happiness soon gives way to familiar patterns of instability and Nino's unreliability. Elena begins to see the same flaws in Nino that Lila had experienced – his self-centeredness, his infidelity, and his inability to fully commit. She realizes that her idealized view of Nino may have been an illusion, and that her radical choice might lead to a different kind of unhappiness. This realization marks the beginning of Elena's disappointment with Nino and a deep re-evaluation of her choices.
The Unbreakable Bond
Throughout their separate lives, Elena and Lila remain linked. Elena often thinks of Lila, using her as a reference for her own experiences, a muse, and a warning. Lila, in turn, subtly influences Elena's writing and her understanding of the world. Their friendship, though often marked by jealousy, competition, and long periods apart, is the most important relationship in their lives. It is a bond formed in their poor Neapolitan neighborhood, a shared history that no distance or personal change can truly break, continuing to shape their identities and life choices.
Principal Figures
Elena Greco (Lenù)
Protagonist
A successful author grappling with her identity, origins, and the pursuit of intellectual and emotional fulfillment.
Elena is an intelligent, ambitious woman who strives to transcend her humble Neapolitan origins through education and writing. She is often insecure, comparing herself to Lila and seeking external validation. She marries Pietro Airota and has two daughters, but finds intellectual and emotional satisfaction elusive. Her relentless introspection drives her narrative, as she constantly analyzes her choices, her relationships, and her place in the world. She is deeply affected by the social and political changes of the 1970s, particularly the feminist movement, and attempts to reconcile her personal experiences with broader societal issues.
Relationships: Lila Cerullo (Intense, complex, lifelong friendship marked by admiration, envy, and deep understanding.); Pietro Airota (Husband; a stable, intellectual, but ultimately unfulfilling marriage.); Nino Sarratore (Childhood crush and later, an affair that leads to the end of her marriage.); Adele Airota (Mother-in-law; a respected intellectual figure who both supports and subtly judges Elena.)
Raffaella Cerullo (Lila)
Co-Protagonist
Elena's brilliant, tempestuous, and enigmatic best friend, who faces life's harshest realities with fierce resilience.
Lila is a woman of formidable intelligence, courage, and unpredictability. Having left her abusive marriage to Stefano Carracci and a disappointing affair with Nino Sarratore, she works in a brutal sausage factory and later opens a photography studio. Despite her lack of formal education, she possesses a keen intellect and a powerful, raw understanding of human nature and social dynamics. Lila is fiercely independent and protective of her son, Gennaro, and later, Tina. Her life is marked by hardship, exploitation, and tragedy, yet she faces each challenge with an unyielding spirit, often acting as a catalyst for change, both for herself and those around her. She embodies the untamed, visceral energy of the neighborhood.
Relationships: Elena Greco (Intense, complex, lifelong friendship marked by admiration, envy, and deep understanding.); Enzo Scanno (Loyal childhood friend and partner, offering stability and unwavering support.); Gennaro (Her son, for whom she is fiercely protective and dedicated.); Tina (Her daughter, whose disappearance is a profound tragedy.); Michele Solara (A powerful, dangerous figure with whom she has a complex, transactional relationship.)
Pietro Airota
Supporting
Elena's academic husband, a kind but somewhat detached intellectual.
Pietro is a university professor from a prominent intellectual Florentine family. He is kind, intelligent, and provides Elena with a stable, respectable life away from Naples. However, he is often absorbed in his academic work and can be emotionally detached, failing to fully understand or meet Elena's deeper emotional and intellectual needs. He represents the secure, conventional path that Elena initially chooses, which ultimately proves unfulfilling for her. His discovery of Elena's affair leads to the painful dissolution of their marriage.
Relationships: Elena Greco (Husband; a stable, intellectual, but ultimately unfulfilling marriage.); Adele Airota (His mother; part of a close-knit, intellectual family.)
Nino Sarratore
Supporting
A charismatic but unreliable intellectual, who becomes Elena's lover.
Nino is an intelligent, charming, and ambitious man who was Lila's lover and Elena's childhood crush. He becomes a successful academic and journalist. While he possesses an undeniable magnetism and intellectual prowess that attracts Elena, he is fundamentally unreliable, self-centered, and prone to infidelity. He represents an idealized, passionate love for Elena, but ultimately proves to be a source of renewed disillusionment, embodying the cyclical nature of disappointment and the deceptive allure of forbidden romance. His character highlights the challenges of finding true fulfillment outside of societal norms.
Relationships: Elena Greco (Childhood crush and later, an affair that leads to the end of her marriage.); Lila Cerullo (Former lover; their past entanglement continues to influence their lives.)
Enzo Scanno
Supporting
Lila's loyal childhood friend and steadfast companion.
Enzo is a quiet, hardworking, and intensely loyal man who has been in love with Lila since childhood. He provides unwavering support and stability in Lila's life, helping her raise Gennaro and later becoming her partner in the photography studio. He represents a grounded, selfless love, a stark contrast to the tumultuous relationships Lila often finds herself in. Enzo's steadfast presence offers Lila a rare sense of security and reliability, embodying an enduring, if unromantic, form of devotion. He is a constant source of comfort and practical assistance in Lila's often chaotic existence.
Relationships: Lila Cerullo (Loyal childhood friend and partner, offering stability and unwavering support.); Gennaro (Helps raise him as his own son.)
Michele Solara
Antagonist/Supporting
The powerful and dangerous Solara brother, who exerts influence over Lila.
Michele Solara is the older, more cunning, and dangerous of the Solara brothers, who are deeply involved in both legitimate business and organized crime in the neighborhood. He has a complex and often menacing relationship with Lila, offering her protection and opportunities (like the photography studio) but also demanding loyalty and exerting control. He is a symbol of the pervasive power of the Camorra and the intertwined nature of wealth and criminality in Naples. His presence highlights the limited choices available to the neighborhood's residents and the constant threat of violence and exploitation.
Relationships: Lila Cerullo (A complex, transactional relationship, where he offers protection and opportunity in exchange for influence.); Marcello Solara (His brother and business partner.)
Adele Airota
Supporting
Pietro's mother, a formidable intellectual and respected literary figure.
Adele Airota is Pietro's mother, a highly intelligent and cultured woman from a prominent Florentine intellectual family. She is a respected literary critic and a formidable figure who initially supports Elena's career and integrates her into their sophisticated world. However, she also subtly judges Elena's working-class background and her perceived lack of social graces. Adele represents the refined, intellectual world that Elena aspires to, but also the subtle class prejudices and expectations that Elena constantly struggles against. She embodies a certain kind of intellectual authority that Elena both admires and feels intimidated by.
Relationships: Elena Greco (Mother-in-law; a respected intellectual figure who both supports and subtly judges Elena.); Pietro Airota (Her son.)
Gennaro Cerullo
Supporting
Lila's son, who experiences the harsh realities of their life.
Gennaro is Lila's son, conceived with Stefano Carracci and later believed to be Nino Sarratore's child. He is a quiet and observant boy who endures the poverty and instability of his early life, including the harsh conditions at IMES and his mother's various struggles. He is deeply loved and protected by Lila and Enzo. His presence underscores the stakes of Lila's battles and her determination to create a better life for her children, despite the overwhelming odds.
Relationships: Lila Cerullo (His mother, for whom he is a central motivation.); Enzo Scanno (Acts as a father figure to him.)
Tina Cerullo
Mentioned
Lila's young daughter, who mysteriously disappears.
Tina is Lila's second child, a young daughter born during her life with Enzo. She is a quiet, intelligent, and much-loved child. Her mysterious disappearance during an earthquake is a devastating tragedy for Lila and Enzo, leaving an unresolved void in their lives. Tina's absence serves as a poignant symbol of the sudden, unpredictable nature of loss and the enduring pain of an unanswered question, profoundly impacting Lila's emotional state and her worldview.
Relationships: Lila Cerullo (Her mother, whose life is shattered by her disappearance.); Enzo Scanno (Her father figure.)
Themes & Insights
The Nature of Friendship and Rivalry
The lasting friendship between Elena and Lila is the novel's core, marked by love, admiration, envy, and competition. Elena constantly compares her life to Lila's, seeing her as both an inspiration and a source of inadequacy. Lila often influences Elena's decisions and creative work. Their bond crosses class and intellectual divides, proving to be the most consistent relationship in their lives, even as their paths diverge. This theme appears in Elena's constant thoughts about Lila, her visits to Naples, and how Lila's experiences inspire Elena's writing.
“What had been the point of my life, if I had to constantly compare it to hers, if I had to feel that she had done better than me, that she had understood more than me, had suffered more than me?”
Social Mobility and Class Struggle
The novel shows the challenges and costs of social mobility in post-war Italy. Elena tries to escape her working-class background through education and marriage into an intellectual family, but she often feels like an outsider and faces subtle prejudices in her new world. Lila, despite her intelligence, stays in the working class, experiencing factory exploitation and the influence of organized crime. Their different experiences highlight the class divisions and limited opportunities, even in a changing society. The factory struggles at IMES and Elena's worries about fitting into Pietro's wealthy world directly show this theme.
“We were stuck in the neighborhood, we lived in the neighborhood, we didn't have money to go anywhere else.”
Feminism and Women's Liberation
Set in the 1970s, the novel explores the early feminist movement and its impact on women's lives. Elena engages with feminist ideas, trying to explain the struggles of women balancing home life, ambition, and identity. Lila's factory experiences, including harassment, show the realities that fueled the movement. Both women, in their own ways, challenge traditional gender roles and expectations, seeking independence in a patriarchal society. Elena's involvement in feminist groups and her conflict over motherhood versus her intellectual life directly address this theme.
“I often had the impression that I was not a woman, but a collection of female experiences, and that these experiences were not mine, but a collective heritage.”
The Weight of the Past and the Neighborhood
Despite their attempts to leave, both Elena and Lila remain deeply connected to their Neapolitan neighborhood and its past. The neighborhood is a powerful, almost unavoidable force that shapes their identities, relationships, and destinies. It is a place of both deep affection and stifling limits, where violence, poverty, and the Camorra are always present. Elena's desire for and dislike of Naples, and Lila's continued involvement with its darker elements, show how deeply their origins have affected them. Elena's constant returns to Naples, physically and in her thoughts, show this lasting connection.
“The neighborhood was a prison, but it was also the only place where we knew how to move.”
Love, Desire, and Disillusionment
The characters' romantic relationships are often complex, passionate, and eventually disappointing. Elena seeks an idealized love with Nino Sarratore, only to find him as flawed and unreliable as Lila had. Lila experiences various kinds of love – the passionate but abusive relationship with Stefano, the intellectual crush on Nino, and Enzo's steady devotion – each bringing its own challenges. The novel explores the gap between romantic ideals and the realities of human connection, showing how desire can lead to both freedom and pain. Elena's affair with Nino and the breakdown of her marriage are central to this theme.
“Love was not a feeling, it was a decision, a pact, a contract between two people.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
First-Person Retrospective Narration
Elena Greco recounts her past from a future vantage point.
The entire novel is narrated by Elena Greco in the first person, retrospectively recounting her life and, crucially, Lila's life. This device allows for deep introspection and analysis of events, relationships, and emotions. Elena's older, more experienced voice provides context and foreshadowing, often revealing her current understanding of past events. It also highlights her ongoing preoccupation with Lila, as her narrative is largely an attempt to understand herself through her friend. The retrospective lens allows for layers of interpretation and the exploration of memory's fallibility and subjective nature.
The Disappearance of Tina
A central, unresolved mystery that profoundly impacts Lila.
The mysterious disappearance of Lila's young daughter, Tina, during an earthquake serves as a powerful and unresolved plot device. It is a devastating tragedy that shatters Lila's already fragile world and leaves an enduring void. The lack of resolution mirrors the uncertainties and unresolved traumas of life in the neighborhood. It also acts as a catalyst for Lila's profound resignation and withdrawal, changing the trajectory of her life. The unanswered question of Tina's fate amplifies the themes of loss, vulnerability, and the unpredictable nature of existence.
Parallel Lives and Contrasting Choices
Elena and Lila's divergent paths highlight different responses to shared origins.
The narrative constantly juxtaposes the parallel lives of Elena and Lila, who, despite their shared origins, make vastly different choices. Elena seeks escape through education and conventional success, while Lila confronts her reality head-on, often with radical and unconventional actions. This device allows the author to explore various facets of social mobility, gender roles, and personal agency. Their contrasting choices provide a rich framework for examining the complexities of their friendship and the broader societal forces at play, with each woman serving as a foil and a mirror for the other.
The Neapolitan Dialect/Standard Italian Divide
Language symbolizes class, authenticity, and intellectual aspiration.
Though not explicitly rendered in the English translation, the novel frequently references the divide between the Neapolitan dialect and standard Italian. This linguistic tension symbolizes the characters' class origins, their struggles for social mobility, and their internal conflicts. Speaking dialect signifies authenticity, emotion, and the neighborhood, while mastering standard Italian is a marker of education and a gateway to a more refined world. Elena's journey is partly defined by her mastery of standard Italian, while Lila often reverts to dialect, representing her rootedness and raw expression. This device underscores the cultural and social barriers the characters face.
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay Quotes
“Each of us is a book, Elenao, each of us is a book, and a library of books.”
“The world was a place of brutal competition, where some were destined to win and others to lose, and it was better to be among the winners.”
“I was always trying to find a way to make sense of things, to put them in order, to write them down.”
“She was the border, and I was the one who was crossing it.”
“We were both trying to escape, but she was trying to escape from the inside, and I was trying to escape from the outside.”
“Every new step I took was also a step away from her, and I always felt a pang of guilt, a sense of betrayal.”
“I had left the neighborhood, but the neighborhood had not left me.”
“The past was a place you could never truly leave, only reinterpret.”
“It’s not enough to be intelligent, you have to be clever.”
“The most important thing was to appear strong, even when you weren’t.”
“Our friendship was a long, passionate conversation, a dialogue that never really ended.”
“To be a woman was to be constantly under scrutiny, constantly judged, constantly evaluated.”
“Life seemed to me a thing that could break at any moment, and I was always waiting for it to break.”
“Words were like stones, they could build or they could destroy.”
Quiz
10 questions on the plot and the characters. Each answer comes with a short explanation.
Question 1
What significant personal event has occurred in Elena Greco's life at the beginning of 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay'?
- She has moved back to the old neighborhood permanently.
- She has married Pietro Airota and published a successful novel.
- She has started a new business venture with Lila.
- She has decided to pursue a career in politics.
Show answer
B. She has married Pietro Airota and published a successful novel. At the beginning of the third novel, Elena has married Pietro Airota, an academic, and has achieved success with her first novel, moving her into a different social sphere.
Question 2
After leaving her husband Stefano and then Nino, what kind of work does Lila Cerullo undertake to support herself and her son, Gennaro, in 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay'?
- She opens her own shoe store.
- She becomes a teacher at a local school.
- She works in a sausage factory.
- She becomes a successful fashion designer.
Show answer
C. She works in a sausage factory. After leaving Nino and Stefano, Lila takes on grueling, low-paying work in a sausage factory to survive and provide for Gennaro, highlighting her struggle against poverty and societal expectations.
Question 3
What is the primary emotional state that Elena experiences regarding her relationship with Lila throughout 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay'?
- Unwavering loyalty and complete understanding.
- A complex mix of love, resentment, admiration, and envy.
- Indifference and a desire for complete separation.
- Constant fear of Lila's judgment and betrayal.
Show answer
B. A complex mix of love, resentment, admiration, and envy. Elena's relationship with Lila is consistently depicted as deeply complex, marked by profound affection but also intense envy, rivalry, and a sense of being perpetually measured against her friend.
Question 4
Which political and social movements of the 1970s heavily influence the narrative and characters' lives in 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay'?
- The rise of fascism and post-war reconstruction.
- The feminist movement, workers' rights, and political radicalism.
- The economic boom and the expansion of consumerism.
- The space race and Cold War anxieties.
Show answer
B. The feminist movement, workers' rights, and political radicalism. The 1970s setting is crucial, with characters like Elena and Lila navigating the era's burgeoning feminist movement, labor struggles, and widespread political unrest and radicalization.
Question 5
What is the primary reason for Elena's frequent returns to Naples and the old neighborhood, despite her efforts to distance herself?
- To visit her husband Pietro's family who still live there.
- She is drawn back by her family, her past, and especially her unbreakable bond with Lila.
- She is researching a new novel set in the neighborhood.
- She has business investments in the area that require her attention.
Show answer
B. She is drawn back by her family, her past, and especially her unbreakable bond with Lila. Despite her success and new life, Elena is constantly pulled back to Naples by her roots, her family, and the magnetic, often tumultuous, presence of Lila.
Question 6
How does Lila's experience working in the factory contrast with Elena's intellectual pursuits and success as a writer?
- Lila finds intellectual stimulation in her factory work, similar to Elena's writing.
- Lila's work is physically demanding and exploitative, representing a harsh reality that Elena has largely escaped.
- Both women experience similar levels of respect and autonomy in their respective fields.
- Lila's factory work allows her greater financial stability than Elena's writing career.
Show answer
B. Lila's work is physically demanding and exploitative, representing a harsh reality that Elena has largely escaped. Lila's factory work is depicted as physically brutal and exploitative, a stark contrast to Elena's relatively privileged intellectual life, highlighting the divergent paths and class differences that emerge between them.
Question 7
What is the significance of the publication of Elena's novel in relation to her relationship with Lila?
- It completely severs their ties, as Lila expresses no interest in it.
- It becomes a point of shared pride and understanding, strengthening their bond immediately.
- It initially causes tension and resentment from Lila, who feels Elena has exposed their shared past, but also eventually sparks a different kind of connection.
- Lila uses Elena's novel as a means to gain her own literary recognition.
Show answer
C. It initially causes tension and resentment from Lila, who feels Elena has exposed their shared past, but also eventually sparks a different kind of connection. Lila initially feels betrayed and exposed by Elena's novel, which draws on their shared experiences. However, it also serves as a catalyst for new forms of interaction and a deeper, albeit complicated, connection between them.
Question 8
How does the character of Nino Sarratore continue to influence both Elena and Lila's lives in 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay'?
- He becomes a distant memory, having no further impact on them.
- He represents a stable, positive male figure who supports both women equally.
- He re-enters Elena's life as a successful academic, becoming her lover and significantly disrupting her marriage and sense of self, while also remaining a complex figure for Lila.
- He becomes a political activist, inspiring both women to join his cause.
Show answer
C. He re-enters Elena's life as a successful academic, becoming her lover and significantly disrupting her marriage and sense of self, while also remaining a complex figure for Lila. Nino Sarratore re-emerges as a significant figure, particularly for Elena, with whom he has an affair that upends her life and marriage. He remains a point of fascination and past entanglement for Lila as well.
Question 9
The theme of 'dissolving boundaries' or 'frantumaglia' is subtly present throughout the novel. How is this concept manifested in the experiences of Elena or Lila?
- It refers to the gradual blurring of the lines between the rich and poor in Naples.
- It appears when characters struggle with their sense of self, feeling fragmented or losing their distinct identity, often in moments of intense emotion or societal pressure.
- It describes the physical deterioration of the old neighborhood over time.
- It is a literary device used by Elena in her novel to describe fantastical elements.
Show answer
B. It appears when characters struggle with their sense of self, feeling fragmented or losing their distinct identity, often in moments of intense emotion or societal pressure. The 'frantumaglia' or dissolving boundaries refers to moments when characters, particularly Lila and sometimes Elena, feel their internal and external world fragmenting, losing cohesion, often during moments of crisis or intense emotional pressure. It's a deep-seated psychological experience.
Question 10
What ultimately happens to Elena's marriage with Pietro Airota by the end of 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay'?
- It grows stronger as they overcome various challenges together.
- They decide to move to a new country and start fresh.
- It effectively ends due to Elena's affair with Nino and her growing disillusionment.
- Pietro dies unexpectedly, leaving Elena a widow.
Show answer
C. It effectively ends due to Elena's affair with Nino and her growing disillusionment. Elena's marriage to Pietro deteriorates significantly, largely due to her affair with Nino Sarratore and her increasing unhappiness and sense of suffocation within the intellectual, bourgeois life she had built, leading to its effective end.
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay FAQ
What is the primary setting and time period for 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay'?
The novel is primarily set in Naples and Florence during the 1970s. Elena Greco, now a published author, navigates the intellectual circles of Florence, while Lila Cerullo remains in Naples, working in a sausage factory and contending with the city's volatile social and political landscape.
How has Elena Greco's life changed significantly since the previous novel?
Elena has achieved considerable success as a writer, publishing a novel that garners critical acclaim and opens doors to a more sophisticated, intellectual world in Florence. She has married Pietro Airota, a professor, and has two daughters, Dede and Elsa, signifying her escape from the confines of her Neapolitan origins.
What is Lila Cerullo's situation at the beginning of this book?
Lila is working in a brutal sausage factory, FRERER, after leaving her abusive husband Stefano Carracci and her wealthy lover Nino Sarratore. She is raising her young son, Gennaro, in extremely difficult conditions, embodying the struggle of the working class in Naples.
How does the political climate of 1970s Italy influence the characters' lives?
The turbulent political climate, marked by student protests, labor strikes, and the rise of both left-wing and right-wing extremism, deeply impacts both women. Elena's husband, Pietro, is a Marxist academic, and Lila becomes involved with union organizing and communist movements within her factory, reflecting the era's social unrest.
What is the significance of the title, 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay'?
The title directly refers to the diverging paths of Elena, who leaves Naples to pursue education and a literary career, and Lila, who, despite her brilliance, largely remains in the neighborhood or its immediate orbit. It highlights the choices and constraints that define their lives and their enduring connection.
What is the underlying tension between Elena's public success and her private insecurities?
Despite her literary success and intellectual milieu, Elena constantly battles feelings of inadequacy, intellectual fraudulence, and a persistent fear of returning to her humble origins. Her relationship with Pietro and his family often exacerbates these feelings, making her question her worth beyond her accomplishments.
How does Lila's experience at the FRERER factory reflect broader societal issues?
Lila's grueling work in the sausage factory, where she faces exploitation, sexual harassment, and dangerous conditions, symbolizes the harsh realities of industrial labor and the exploitation of the working class. Her efforts to organize a union highlight the struggle for workers' rights and dignity in a period of intense social change.
What role does Nino Sarratore play in this novel, and how does it complicate Elena's life?
Nino Sarratore re-enters Elena's life as a charismatic, successful academic, rekindling her long-held infatuation. He becomes her lover, leading to the dissolution of her marriage to Pietro and a tumultuous affair that ultimately brings her more pain than fulfillment, echoing his past betrayals of Lila.
How does Elena's relationship with her mother, Immacolata, evolve?
Elena's relationship with her mother remains strained, characterized by resentment and a sense of emotional distance. Immacolata struggles to understand Elena's intellectual world and often expresses her disapproval, highlighting the generational and class divide that Elena has crossed.
What is the symbolic significance of the 'dissolving margins' that Elena often experiences?
The 'dissolving margins' represent Elena's recurring sense of disorientation, a feeling that her carefully constructed identity and reality are fragile and could collapse. This psychological phenomenon often intensifies when she feels overwhelmed, insecure, or confronted with difficult truths about herself or her past.
How does the narrative explore the theme of motherhood through Elena and Lila?
Elena experiences motherhood with a mix of love and resentment, feeling trapped by domesticity and struggling to balance her intellectual life with raising her daughters. Lila, despite her difficult circumstances, is fiercely protective and devoted to Gennaro, showcasing a different, more primal form of maternal love and sacrifice.
What is the primary source of Lila's enduring power and influence over Elena?
Lila's enduring power stems from her raw intelligence, fearless authenticity, and her ability to confront life's harshness head-on. Elena views Lila as a mirror and a catalyst, someone who embodies both the past she escaped and a profound, intuitive understanding of the world that Elena, despite her education, feels she lacks.
How does the novel portray the complexities of female friendship?
The novel portrays Elena and Lila's friendship as intensely complex, marked by deep love, profound admiration, fierce competition, and occasional resentment. It's a bond that is both life-affirming and destructive, constantly evolving through their diverging lives and shared history, often serving as a lens through which they understand themselves.
What is the significance of the recurring motif of 'blurring' or 'smearing' in the narrative?
The motif of blurring or smearing often appears when characters, especially Lila, are confronted with extreme violence, degradation, or a sense of losing control. It signifies a breakdown of order, a loss of clarity, and a descent into the chaotic or primal, reflecting the fragility of their world.
How do the character of Pasquale Peluso and his political actions serve a thematic purpose?
Pasquale Peluso, a communist activist from the neighborhood, represents the radicalized youth and the violent undercurrents of the 1970s political landscape. His actions, particularly his association with extremist groups and eventual imprisonment, highlight the dangers and moral ambiguities of the era's social struggles.
Does Elena truly escape her Neapolitan origins, or do they continue to define her?
While Elena physically leaves Naples and achieves social mobility, her Neapolitan origins continue to profoundly define her. Her past influences her insecurities, her writing, her understanding of class, and her unbreakable bond with Lila, suggesting that true escape from one's roots is perhaps impossible.
How do Elena's experiences with the intellectual elite in Florence contrast with her memories of the neighborhood?
Elena finds the Florentine intellectual elite to be often superficial, self-absorbed, and detached from the harsh realities of the world, a stark contrast to the raw vitality and brutal honesty of the neighborhood. She feels like an outsider, constantly comparing their privileged discussions to the genuine struggles she witnessed in Naples.
What is the role of sex and desire in the lives of Elena and Lila in this novel?
Sex and desire are portrayed as complex forces, often intertwined with power, manipulation, and vulnerability. Elena experiences both liberating and destructive sexual encounters, while Lila's sexuality is often a weapon or a tool for survival, highlighting the different ways women navigate desire in their lives.
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