Italian American literature and cultural studies

Catholicism and Male Dominance in the Italian-American Family

It is an often reluctantly stated truism that stereotypes come from somewhere -- that is, that there is usually a kernel of truth behind the beliefs held about a particular group of people. As tempting as it may be to categorically deny the accuracy of many stereotypes, the fact is many of them are in fact grounded in some truth. The image of the Italian-American family is one such stereotypes that perpetuates itself by its close emulation of the two-dimensional public image it already has. In his book Blood of My Blood: The Dilemma of Italian of the Italian-Americans, Dr. Richard Gambino outlines some very broad categories for classifying members of the Italian family and their interactions. Correspondence to these classifications in works of literature and art are not always complete, but the general sentiments and roles he describes are too readily apparent in many self-depictions of the Italian-American and Italian immigrant experience to discount them.

One work that examines the workings of the typical Italian-American blue-collar family is Pietro diDonato's Christ in Concrete. The story centers around the struggles of this working class family after the death of its patriarch and bread-winner, Geremio. There is a complex interplay of religion, patriarchy and the Italian ideal of "maleness," and the nature and role of the family that runs throughout this novel, much of it captured though fictionalized accounts of diDonato's own experience. In the novel, Geremio is killed in a construction accident on Good Friday. He is a devout Catholic, and is looking forward to celebrating the holiday with his family when the building he is working in collapses. He dies being buried in cement and praying for Jesus to save him and truly baffled at his lack of appearance. His death gives the novel its title and in many ways its central symbol. Both religion and the male role of providing by the sweat of your own brow effectively froze Geremio; he had been struggling for a better future for his family, but was truly not advancing. The bulk of the novel deals with his son, Paul, who now must step into the void of the family patriarchy that Geremio's death created. Paul's sacrifice is a less tangible manifestation of the same stereotypical role that causes Geremio's more literal martyrdom -- whatever dreams Paul may have had must be put on hold while he steps into the provider role of the family. Though not unique to Italian-Americans, this concept of patriarchal duty that Paul has is reinforced by Italian tradition and Catholic teaching about sufferance and self-sacrifice.

John Fante's Wait Until Spring, Bandini takes a somewhat lighter view of the conflict the ideas of Italian maleness and Catholic teachings can produce. In this coming-of-age story, the male protagonist is conflicted between the moral prohibitions of strict Catholicism and his desire for Rosa, a girl around his age. The role of the Italian male includes sexual desirability and prowess, yet this is in direct opposition to the teachings of fidelity and chastity imposed by the Catholic Church. Rather than combining forces to further grind down the protagonist as in Christ in Concrete, Fante presents his character with a choice between two stereotypes, presenting the more complex and yet still stereotypical image of the quintessential Italian male conflict.