Living the Life of a Saint

842 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on life of saints

In a Catholic society, such as Valle di Sole in Lives of the Saints by Nino Ricci, it is common for people to be named after saints, making Hagiography, a study of the lives of the saints, a study of high importance. Essentially, in Ricci’s novel, the characters draw many parallels from their name saint, such as personality, notable events, and martyrdom, which eventually leads to living a life comparable to their name saint, as if destined by fate.
To begin, Cristina Innocente lives a life parallel to her name saint, St. Christina of Bolsena, by bringing a wave of change to their hometowns. For example, a biography of Saint Christina on Catholic Online states that “[after an] angel called her… Christina smashed all the [Pagan] idols in her room and threw them out the window,” a bold act of courage, rebelliousness, and change, especially coming from a person who was expected to become a Pagan priestess in a town so devout to Paganism. Although much more controversial than the acts of her name saint, Cristina Innocente also sends shockwaves by embracing secularism through pursuing a scandalous, sexually liberal life of self-expression. In an interview with Nino Ricci by Mary Rimmer, he explains further, stating, “When people live in that sort of repressive environment… They start out thinking “What are my options here? What can I do? I need some avenue of self-expression”... So for Cristina to take a lover was a rebellious act within the rules of her society.” By her engagement in a daring affair, she is indirectly advocating liberalism in a society where conservative Catholic catechism, mythical superstitions, and traditional beliefs, is the norm. Conclusively, Cristina shares many features with her name saint by advocating for ...

... middle of paper ...

...rallel to their name saints. Undeniably, Cristina Innocente is no saint, nor is she anywhere close to being a saintly character. However, as Nino Ricci has stated in the interview, “The saint’s stories are presented as didactic stories with clear morals...In fiction and life...it’s never that clear.” In the end, no one truly knows if someone was morally right or wrong until after death, and even that is subject to controversy and change. However, if there is one aspect that is certain, it is that Christina may not be a saint, but she surely lives up to the life of her saintly counterpart.

Works Cited

Ricci, Nino. Lives of the Saints. Dunvegan, Ont., Canada: Cormorant, 1990. Print.
Ricci, Nino. “Nino Ricci: A Big Canvas.” Interview by Mary Rimmer. Studies in Canadian Literature 18.2 (1993)
"St. Christina." Catholic Online. Catholic Online, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Cristina Innocente In Nino Ricci's Lives Of The Saints

    1955 Words  | 4 Pages

    One must take careful consideration before acting because the aftermath can lead to a chain of events whose consequences can be disastrous. Nino Ricci’s Lives of the Saints is an excellent example of how the consequences of a persons actions can affect everyone around them, including themselves. First, Cristina makes several choices throughout the novel that not only reflect her thoughtlessness, but her inability to see that it affects people beyond herself. The repercussions of Cristina’s actions demonstrates that she does not take notice that her actions are affecting others. Cristina’s value system is distorted as she is not looking at what is best for her child but rather what is feeling good to her right now. Cristina Innocente is a selfish,

    Read More

  • Theme Analysis of Killings by Andre Dubus

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Miguel De Unamuno And San Manuel Bueno

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Miguel de Unamuno’s novella San Manuel Bueno, Martyr, readers learn about the life of Don Manuel, a Catholic priest secretly holding atheist beliefs and doubts in the afterlife. Despite these disbeliefs, Don Manuel works tirelessly to help his community and is regarded as a saint by all who meet him, hence the handle “San Manuel,” which literally translates to “Saint Manuel.” Don Manuel’s struggle and affiliation with sainthood receives further analysis and context from Francisco LaRubia-Prado, who parallels Unamuno’s novella to elements of Greek Tragedy and heroism. Drawing from Unamuno’s background with Ancient Greek playwriting and Sigmund Freud’s Totem and Taboo, LaRubia-Prado argues that Don Manuel should be seen as a representation of Christ and must suffer in silence in order to play the role of the dying, tragic hero that saves the

    Read More

  • Romanticism in Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato

    1962 Words  | 4 Pages

    Vannatta, Dennis.  "Theme and Structure in Tim O'Brien's Going    After Cacciato."  Modern Fiction Studies 28 (Summer 1982):         242-246.

    Read More

  • Malvolio: The Perfect Outcast In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

    1669 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...itating Malvolio's Reading." Papers on Language and Literature: A Journal for Scholars and Critics of Language and Literature 45 (2009): 261-286. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.

    Read More

  • Helena Maria Viramontes’ The Moths

    1672 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...eedom was found and cultural boundaries were not shattered, simply battered, the narrator’s path was much preferable to that of her sisters (those who conformed to cultural boundaries). Through this story we can see how oppression in certain cultures changes individuals differently, creates tension between those who do not wish to be subjugated and those doing the subjugating, and we see the integral opposition between the path of Catholicism and that of curandismo.

    Read More

  • A Feminist in the Medieval Era: Margery Kempe

    1299 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kempe’s story has a typical beginning. She is married, soon thereafter conceives her first child, and goes on to give birth to fourteen more children. She assumes the responsibilities of a wife and mother whose position in the late medieval society is assured by the solid reputation of her father, John Burnham, and her husband, John Kempe. However, Kempe’s conventional story changes early in her life by an elusive interaction with Jesus that she experiences shortly after her first excruciating child birth. Women were expected to carry out the societal norm of a good wife and mother which meant staying home to tend to the family. As we’ve seen, this is the opposite of how Kempe wanted to live her life — she hastily became distinguished and recognized. Her autobiography explains her own efforts to dissociate herself from the covetous and restric...

    Read More

  • Irenaeus of Lyons

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    I invite you to consider the life of an interesting human being with me in this paper. Let us investigate together the man known as Irenaeus of Lyons. We will endeavor to gain an overall verbal portrait of the man who is considered the most significant ecclesiastical witness before Eusebius and the leading theologian in the second century A. D. The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church both consider Irenaeus to be one of their “holy saints“. The name Irenaeus means a “‘man of peace,’ and the early Christian historian Eusebius honored Irenaeus as a peacemaker in keeping with his name.”

    Read More

  • The Power Struggle in The Yellow Wallpaper

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    Delamotte, Eugenia C. reprinted in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol. 37. Ed. Paula Kepos. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991.

    Read More

  • St. Francis Of Assisi

    2952 Words  | 6 Pages

    St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the year 1182. He was a child every father hoped for, he was filled with life, a determined and courageous individual. He was gifted with rather good looks, qualities that attracted friends and a gift of leadership. His father was an extremely wealthy merchant in Assisi. But this son, his favourite, was the one who broke Peter Bernardone’s heart. The boy turned on his father, and in a vicious event that eventually resulted into a public scene. St. Francis of Assisi stepped away from his father, his business and left his father in a state of immense emotional suffering.

    Read More

  • How Has Christina Challenged The System Of Power In Medieval Religion?

    1872 Words  | 4 Pages

    After the prior and others took the case to the Bishop, who ruled in Christina’s favor, Autti then bribed the man to change his mind. According to the hag-, Christina’s parents “hoped that she would have children who would be like her in character,” and the fact that Christina had taken a vow of chastity and refused to consummate her marriage made them believe “that they would lose her and all that they could hope to gain through her.” They repeatedly make clear attempts to force their daughter to consummate her marriage, yet all of them fail. The author of the hag- equals these events to supernatural intervention; however, Christina’s resistance to her parents’ authority and dramatic escape from the traditions of nobility showcase how difficult and dangerous it was to move against society’s expectations about parental authority and marriage. Her hag- provides an inside look at the trials one would have to subject themselves to in an attempt to move beyond the power structure and gain control for

    Read More

  • Criticism of The Storm by Kate Chopin

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    She lambasted society for its perpetual close-mindedness in a time when righteousness was considered to be an attribute, and she helped to generate more enlightened attitudes among both the women and men of her time. In The Storm, the character of Calixta is unable to fulfill society's standards of virtue, despite her perceived purity by her lover Alcee. When Alcee professes, "If she was not an immaculate dove in those days, she was still inviolate" (p. 34), he is basically saying that just because a woman is not chaste, does not mean she is not pure of heart. After all, it was Calixta's marriage which had stripped her of her chastity status.

    Read More

  • Measure for Measure Essay: Isabella’s Moral Dilemma

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play, Claudio has been sentenced to death for getting his fiancee pregnant (his crime was not so much getting her pregnant, but having sex with her at all). Claudio's sister, Isabella, who is in the process of joining a nunnery, feels that Claudio has done wrong, has sinned and committed a crime, but she feels that the sentence--death--is too strict. So, she goes to the ruler of the city, Angelo, to plead for her brother's life. The previously virtuous Angelo falls into lust with Isabella, and he propositions her to save her brother by having sex with him (Angelo). Now, remember that Isabella is in the process of becoming a nun. She, of course, rejects this propos...

    Read More

  • How Does Lewis Create Tension In The Monk

    1403 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because the monk, Ambrosio, was one of the highest distinguished religious leaders, the most innocent people may be the guilty ones. As a monk, one of his main goals would have been to live a perfect life of service and peace. In this novel, the monk was raised by Capuchins and supposedly obtained “singular holiness” (Gonda 1). Lorenzo describes that Ambrosio “is reported to be so strict an observer of Chastity, that he knows not in what consists the difference of man and woman” (Lewis 16). Therefore, Lorenzo is testifying to Ambrosio’s moral purity by declaring that Ambrosio does not even notice the difference in males and females. Ambrosio’s devotion to God should have prevented all situations in which he put himself. Furthermore, because all logic reasoning would make others believe Ambrosio’s innocence, it proves that appearance can not determine someone’s character. While people could not see his true desires, God saw this his false cover. An innocent appearance does not mean an innocent heart. True nature takes development of relationships to completely judge. That being said, the theme of religious hypocrisy and corruption is present. Because the story takes place in a monastery, the hypocrisy and corruption are emphasized by the setting.The church seems magnificent, while hiding heinous offenses. This

    Read More

  • Francis Petrarch: Leader of the Humanistic Movement and Father of the Renaissance

    2209 Words  | 5 Pages

    Donadoni, Eugenio. A History of Italian Literature, Volume 1. New York: New York University Press, 1969.

    Read More

More about Living the Life of a Saint

Open Document