Italian Cinema Bicycle Thief Questionnaire

¶ … bicycle represent for Antonio Ricci and his family? For the impoverished Antonio Ricci, the bicycle represents everything: he has hocked his wedding sheets (with the consent of his wife Maria) to buy a bicycle to get work. The bicycle represents his virility and being able to provide for his family. It also represents his ability to be a good role model for his son Bruno, particularly after the bike is stolen and he and Bruno engage in a game of cat-and-mouse to find the bicycle.

Why do the Riccis visit "la Santona"? For the poor, life is uncertain, and the seer's (la Santona's) advice provides the family with stability in an unstable world. The seer tells them that Antonio will find work, which comforts him and also tells Antonio that he will find the lost bike soon "or not at all," which obviously is a wonderful example of ambivalent speech (the seer will be right either way) even though Antonio does not understand this deception. Describe Maria's character.

Maria is very practical (she pawns her own wedding sheets to enable her husband to obtain a bicycle and work) but also loving. She does not berate her husband for his unemployment as another wife might do -- she realizes that their plight is common (as evidenced by the piles of sheets at the pawn shop). Describe the rapport between Antonio and his son throughout the film. The boy Bruno is extremely clever and watchful.

Although at one point Antonio slaps Bruno, taking out his aggressions upon his son, ultimately the two make a 'team' in finding the bicycle. Antonio feels he cannot provide better for his son, at one point taking the boy out to eat even though he can ill-afford to do so, although he notes they cannot eat like the rich family at the restaurant. Who is helpful to Antonio in his search? The bureaucrats? His family? Only Antonio's son is truly helpful in the search for the missing bicycle.

The law merely tries to penalize Antonio when he steals another bicycle out of desperation but does not help him find the bike he owns. How do the thief's friends and family react to Antonio's accusations? The thief's friends and family are not sympathetic to Antonio's true accusations. They are poor like Antonio and are willing to compromise their ethics to survive.

What is going through Antonio's mind in the final scene, when he sees all the bicycles? "Life is so unfair: why should all of these people have bicycles that do not need them when I do not? I need a bicycle to feed my family. It is only just." What is the significance of the last shot of the film (father and son walk home)? Even.