“Agostino” – Alberto Moravia

I’m not sure how to feel about this week’s reading. Although it was quick and somewhat interesting, it touches on topics that I felt really weirded out reading – mainly the sexualization of his mom, and trying to get into a whorehouse at 13.  But it was also interesting to read yet another “coming of age” book, but on the opposite end – delving into sexuality. And more specifically, a sexual awakening of a 13 year old boy – Agostino. 

This book follows Agostino, who we quickly learn is severely attached to his mother. We learn that he is extremely dependent on his mother “He would jump in right after her, ready to follow her anywhere, even to the bottom of the sea” (4). We see that he becomes jealous and sexualizes his mother after she gets into a “summer fling” with another man. The book begins to gain momentum after his encounter with the gang of boys, exposing himself to a lower-income group with extremely toxic masculinity and different values. This forces him to take a hard look at himself and the privileged life he leads, as well as his perception of his mom as these boys sexualize his mom. What stood out to me most was the oedipal relationship Agostino had towards his mother – which was described very vividly in the book. 

This book had a lot of themes of “teenage angst” . As a teenager, Agostino longs to be treated as an adult which leads him to develop a lot of frustration because his mother is always “babying” him, and a lot of other characters (such as the woman in the brothel) deemed him as “too little”

Something that I could definitely relate to was the desire for independence and self-discovery shown by Agostino. It reminds me of the times when I was a teen and desperately wanted to be treated like an adult as I was growing up, thinking I knew it all. I would often act out in rebellious and often dangerous ways, in an attempt to assert my own independence. (not necessarily as extreme as going to a brothel, but in other ways). Similarly to my experience, Agostino’s actions were driven by a desire to break free from the constraints of childhood – and in some ways, his mother –  to find his own path. As such, he puts himself in situations such as pretending to be a poor rower, or attempting to go to a brothel, out of his own interests, disregarding what his mother would think about it. 

As such, it was quite satisfying (?) to see Agostino lose his childhood innocence as he deals with the confusions of growing up. In the end, he breaks free from his “dependence” on his mom and almost transforms into a person of his own, with a new outlook on life. This book highlights the universal theme of the coming of age and the challenges that comes with it, which made it a weird yet interesting read. 

A question I have for discussion is:

What are some of the ways you acted out rebelliously that shaped who you are as a person today? 

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coming of age, sexuality, sexism, racism coming of age, sexism, sexuality