¶ … History novel by Elsa Morante parallel and critique with actual objective history?

The principle way that Elsa Morante's History novel attempts to parallel and critique objective history is by portraying the lives and the fates of typical civilians -- and casualties -- of larger historical events. Therefore, the author's depiction of World War II does not center on the major battles and strategies of the Allies and the Axis powers, but rather on the individual, regular people in Rome and its surrounding parts who were caught in the cross fire, oftentimes without understanding why such events were happening.

It is this historical aspect of Morante's novel that parallels objective history. The book chronicles several successive years during the beginning of World War II to those following its end; each chapter begins with fairly accurate synopses of major events taking place in the war and during its aftermath. In this respect, the book actually adheres to history from an objective standpoint by giving readers an overview of the major socio-political events that are affecting the lives of the characters.

However, by choosing to focus on ordinary civilians and the senseless complications and pain that the war brought to their lives, Morante is definitely critiquing objective history. Her novel functions as a way to provide the stories and chronologies of the voices and faces who have been omitted from objective history. She focuses on detailing the expressions, sounds, and feelings of the nameless, numberless people who are represented in conventional history as mere statistics.

Thus, the author details the struggles of a simple family and its interactions with other Italian citizens and Jewish refugees during the war. Morante is able to subtly criticize history by actually showing readers the hatred and despair these people felt at having their homes bombed, their mothers raped by occupying German soldiers, and their lives carted away to expire in German concentration camps. Objective history alludes to all of these points; Morante parallels it by exploring these points and critiques it by demonstrating just how much objective history did not explain.