We can read about typical past customs, expressed through language and the name of things: “ telaio” (loom), “ ordito” (warp), and “ arcolaio” (wool-winder) are terms from the textile industry (which was dominated by women). Only Alessi, who preserves the old values, manages to save himself and the honor of his family, becoming the new patriarch of the Malavoglias. People are linked “naturally” to their birth conditions, and as soon as they try to rise above their status, values, and/or ideals, they fall into disgrace. In the author’s pessimistic view, the Malavoglias are “ dell'ostrica” (of the oyster). Throughout this decline, Verga portrays the common vices people fall prey to when they attempt to climb the social ranks: avidity, ambition, and egotism. 'Giovanni Verga was one of the most important figures in the Italian 'verism' movement, which attempted to depict humanity’s condition without embellishments, somewhat like 'realism' in France at the same time.' When the boat is wrecked, one of the men dies, which ignites a series of disgraces endured by the Malavoglias, which pushes them to the edge of economic and social collapse. They hope to follow progress and improve their economic situation, so they entrust their future to “ provvidenza” (or “providence,” also the name of the Malavoglia's little ship). This transformation is evoked through the decadence of a poor Sicilian family of fishermen, the Malavoglias.

The narrative is set in Aci Trezza, in Catania, a little town by the sea, and its events occur during Italy’s unification, a historical moment that saw the irruption of modernity in rural life. I Malavoglia is a novel published in 1881 by Giovanni Verga, one of the most important figures in the Italian “verism” movement, which attempted to depict humanity’s condition without embellishments, somewhat like “realism” in France at the same time.

I Malavoglia by Giovanni Verga