Emotional
Intelligence and Concept of God in the novel BETWEEN THE CRACKS
By Carmela
Cattuti, author of BETWEEN THE CRACKS
When
the 1908 Mt. Etna eruption devastated Messina, Sicily, thousands immigrated to
the U.S. fully expecting to return, rebuild their homes and resume their lives.
Franco, one of the main characters in BETWEEN THE CRACKS immigrates with his
family at the age of twelve, has no intention of returning to live in Sicily.
He is ensconced in America and what his new country has to offer an ambitious
young man. Franco strives to do the best he can with what he has. When he marries, he owns several houses and
has money in the bank. His job is secure and he values the work he performs; he
thinks things through. As soon as he can
afford it, he moves his family from downtown Manhattan to a town along the
Hudson River.
Many
took the journey across the Atlantic arriving at Ellis Island exhausted and
anxious. They had hopes and dreams, but no practical plans on how to achieve
their intentions. Franco arrived in the U.S. with little education. Like many
immigrants he was scorned at first, but through his innate intelligence and
fortitude he became successful in the new world. He had a developed emotional
intelligence that he could access in his personal and business dealings. Angela,
the main character in the novel, integrates emotional intelligence with a
spirituality that transcends organized religion. Early 20th century
European Catholicism imprisoned the immigrant in roles that were no longer
beneficial or functional in the new world. Most of these concepts were viewed
as antiquated by American standards.
Angela
and Frank were forward thinking in terms of religion and the idea of a deity.
Franco’s life experience forced him to confront the church and the concept of
God and he declares that God does not exist for him. Angela experiences unseen
energies that to her are benevolent and support her through difficult times. She
also believes fervently in the healing attributes of the Virgin Mary and lights
candles in her honor. The God of religion seldom plays a part in her worship,
nor does Jesus Christ. Today’s modern new age religion would call that “Goddess
Worship.” Through their releasing of traditional religious beliefs they were
able to confront adversity with strength, not through victimhood. When she and
Franco encounter illness Angela never prays to God, she calls upon her “unseen
friends” and Mary for assistance. Franco never prays for a job, he looks for
one through his connections.
Immigrants
like Franco and Angela were part of the development of independent thinking in
the new world. Many religions today would consider them heretics and they would
not be welcome in many homes. They had the fortitude to allow their views to mature
even if it meant traversing unknown territory or thinking differently than the
immigrant community. Their views were cultivated through embracing life’s
challenges and joyful experiences not through distancing themselves from life.
In the novel, we can see that the next generation lacks the fortitude and
vision to continue to create the reality Franco and Angela conceived.
The Evolution of Culture in BETWEEN THE
CRACKS
By
Carmela Cattuti
When Angela embarks on her American
odyssey at age eighteen she is completely ignorant of the cultural divide
between her European experience and the customs of small town New York. She relies
on her husband to introduce her to the Italian community that is already
developing their own brand of Italian American culture. She encounters a
culture that presents itself as open and accepting, but Angela soon realizes
its restrictions. When confronted with, not only her own culture, but her
American sewing colleagues at the local convent, she refuses to lower her
standards and produce inferior work to produce her product more quickly. This
is her first taste of American business life. Design matters little to the
seamstresses at the convent. The reader sees that Angela views herself as an
artist, even though it is never expressed. She has too much confidence in her
abilities to ever create shoddy designs. She knows her creations are high
quality and unique as is her world view. This confidence sustains her through
difficult times.
Not long after her arrival in the
U.S. she begins to sew and design clothing for well-to-do women in the town of
Nelsonville. Her sensibility, appearance, and demeanor are attractive to the
townswomen whom become her clients. Even without a working knowledge of English
she has an exotic appeal to the Americans she meets. This exotic element plays
an integral part in navigating this emerging American culture. When people
encounter Angela they are acutely aware that she possesses a different world
view because she imbues her everyday activities with her sensibilities regardless
of how seemingly irrelavent. She is also keenly aware of the effect she has on
people and her new surroundings. Determined to integrate what she learned at
the convent with her adopted country, she soon realizes that life in America
will present many unforeseen challenges.
Through the eruption of Mt. Etna in
1908 Sicily to the death of her beloved sister-in-law, Angela endures the
tragedies of early 20th century life. There is no way to predict
earthquakes and medical science was in its infancy. After an illness leaves her
unable to bear children, she decides to nurture members of her husband’s family.
In many respects, she became the “good wife” while holding onto her brand of
culture and unconventional spirituality. She adapts her cultural heritage to
fit every life situation in the new world. She creatively infuses her life
view, developed through the nuns at a Sicilian Convent, into events that would
otherwise have consumed her. She finds power and strength in her ability to use
her own essence to deal with whatever situation she encounters. She refuses to
allow life circumstances to change her.
Angela traverses the landscape of the novel
with as much courage and stamina as any warrior, and like any true warrior she
also knows when to retreat. She attempts to protect her adopted family as best
she can, but allows situations to run their natural course. Her Sicilian
experience shows her that life can be elusive at best and when natural forces
step in, it is best to step aside regardless of the outcome.
The Sister Connection in BETWEEN THE CRACKS
by
Carmela Cattuti
Angela Lanza’s entire
family perishes in the eruption of Mt Etna in 1908 Sicily, but it is her
sister’s loss that casts a shadow over her future experience. Her sister’s body
was never recovered and there were no records of her survival, yet Angela
leaves her behind when she immigrates to the U.S. In Angela’s mind there is a
possibility that she may still be alive. Her new husband is unaware of her
concerns. She doesn’t tell him until they arrive in New York Harbor.
The
steamship crept into New York Harbor. Angela saw the Statue of Liberty come
into view. She felt the statue was strong but gentle and thought the huge
sculpture would be a place for her to run to if she were ever in trouble.
“Have you enjoyed the trip?”
asked Franco.
“Yes, Franco, it was very nice. I
had a nice time,” said Angela as she lowered her head. Franco put his finger
under her chin and looked into her eyes. He remembered Sister Regina and her
visit after the wedding and thought that maybe she wished she were back at the
convent.
“Angela, what’s the matter? You
look so sad. I’m trying to please you and make you happy.”
“It’s my sister, Franco. I’m not
sure she was killed in the earthquake.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Her body was never found. I
don’t know if she’s dead or alive.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before we
left Sicily? We could have stayed and looked for her.”
“No, I couldn’t have said
anything. You were so happy. I didn’t want to spoil anything. Besides, it was
time for me to leave.” “Well, that gives us good reason to return some day.”
Page 98-Between the Cracks
The loss of Angela’s
sister compels her to find a surrogate; this she finds in Franco’s nine year
old sister Speranza. Angela quickly assesses Franco’s mother as lacking in
cultural and social skills. Qualities Angela deems essential in bringing up
children, especially girls. When she first meets Speranza she notices her
clothing is not properly sewed and her hair is in disarray. Angela braids her
sister-in-law’s hair and mends her clothing. She sets out to pass on her
culture which includes proper grooming and clothing that fits and flatters a
young girl’s figure. Angela and Speranza form a close and mutually beneficial
relationship. But, in the deep recesses of her mind, Angela still holds onto the
possibility that she could be reunited with her sister. It is only on a journey
back to Sicily to search for her sister that Angela faces the difficult truth
Out of the darkness human shapes
began to form. These forms rushed toward Angela, as if she had something they
wanted. She wondered if her sister was among them. They were faceless but
Angela felt they were staring at her. She wanted to be invisible but knew that
they were aware of her presence. The
shapes encircled Angela and she started to hear their voices. They were some of
the energies dislodged by the earthquake that were trying to find their way
home. These forms sometimes overtook people and made them do things that they
would ordinarily not do. The forms were usually hidden from view, trapped
between the buildings.
“Why are you telling me this?” asked Angela in
her mind. “So we can use your energy,” said the shapes. “Is my sister here? Do
you know where she is?”
Then came silence. The energies
looked at one another now. There is nothing to be gained here, thought Angela.
It is the same hard life with little hope. Everyone here is lost, and her
sister was gone. She would always miss her, never forget- ting her for one day.
Once Angela had these thoughts the shapes disappeared and she opened her
eyes. The fountain felt old and vacant.
Roberto was right about the past. It was time to go home but she had one more
stop on her journey. She knew in her heart that her sister was gone.
Angela’s developed
spiritual nature aids her in accepting the truth. At the end of their trip to
Sicily, Franco asks Angela if her mind was at ease now that she had accepted
her sister’s fate. Her response suggests that her sister is not gone but simply
“not here.” She tells Franco that she will never have an easy mind about her
sister. Angela’s relationship with Speranza becomes even more important after
this revelation, which makes it more painful when her sister-in-law marries a
man of whom she completely disapproves. All the time and effort she puts into
Speranza to ensure that she maintains her self-respect is thwarted by her
meddlesome mother-in-law. Due to a medical condition, Angela is unable to bear
children so her relationship with Speranza is paramount in her life.
Sadly, Speranza dies
and Angela endures another major loss. She carries Speranza in her heart as she
does her sister until the end of the book. The sisters Angela loses become part
of her being and make her stronger. Angela’s legacy to her sisters is one of
culture and embracing one’s physical presence. She is aware on a deep level
that she has empowered women not to settle for the circumstances life presents
but to seek better lives, regardless of opposition from family, friends, and
the prevailing culture. This lesson is a driving force in the novel. Angela is
drawn to ‘taking a chance, a risk.’
The
convent was the cultural cornerstone in her life. She had not known Italian
until she came here. Only Sicilian was spoken where she grew up and anyone who
spoke Italian was held under suspicion. It was said that a truly educated
person spoke both languages. The convent had made her more than she would have
been. Angela told herself that she would bring the knowledge she had
accumulated to her new life in America. She would draw strength from what she
had learned to face the challenges in the new world.
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