Analysis of Difficult Loves by Italo Calvino

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Analysis of “Difficult Loves” by Italo Calvino
Introduction
Difficult Love by Italo Calvino is one of his last fascinating books published during his time as a writer. All the short stories in the book were originally published in between 1945 and the late 1950s, in the Italian language. However, ‘Difficult Loves' compilation, in particular, did not undergo any formal publications until one year to Calvino’s death; 1984. The short stories collection in ‘Difficult Loves' have well developed and related themes in the whole of its stories. Therefore, the short stories herein have four chronologically arranged and thematic divisions. These four primary themes are: "Riviera Stories," "The Wartime Stories," "The Postwar Stories" and the "Stories of Love and Loneliness." The theme of isolation and loneliness leading to desperation is a key theme in "Stories of Love and Loneliness, with symbolic objects shaping the life of characters in the stories where fantasies play critical roles in their entire life experiences.
At the central core of all the twenty-eight stories in the book, the theme of alienation and love is highly depicted. Love is depicted in the stories in various shapes and different estrangements (Lucente, 245). These emanate from people themselves regarding character, the society and its place in the setting of the stories, and the general ego the people have at large. In the story "The Adventure of a Bather," a character by the name Isotta Barbarino, who is a woman underwent through tempting scenarios. She had an "unfortunate mishap" when she was at the beach swimming one day. She was from the shore when she realized that some buttons must have popped out at her waist around her hip. Her bikini had, therefore, slipped off, which made her feel paranoid about her new naked look from the strangers on the beach.
She was worried about people judging her from outside the beach when she realized she has been swimming naked without her bikini. Therefore, while she was in the water and referring to people on the shore, she was overwhelmed with feelings of isolation and insecurity. The portrayal of her nature by the people around here is some of the external forces isolating her. However, she dealt with her isolation by swimming more even after the bikini had fallen off, embracing the challenge (Kibler, 548). The setting of the shore is relevant in bringing forth the theme of isolation as it has shown the two sides of the people isolate.
Symbolic objects have been used immensely by Calvino in most of the short stories in the “Difficult Loves” book (Bolongaro, 110). In "Big Fish, Little Fish," the symbolic object of an octopus has been used. The octopus used here is so symbolic and represents the image of voraciousness. "A ship that is loaded with crabs makes a point in a different perspective." The octopus here revolves entirely on the meaning of the story as it makes reference to the group of children who are playing war and end up finding some crabs of different shapes and sizes.
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