The scene I chose is at the end of the first part of the novel. In the scene, Lila gets thrown out the window by her father for wanting to attend middle school. This scene reveals many vital themes of the novel. Lila’s working-class parents do not see the importance or necessity of Lila continuing her education, despite her unique intelligence. Lila does not want to reconcile with the fact that her father’s decision holds authority and would force her to be stuck in a life that is not intellectually stimulating enough for her. The scene exemplifies the normalcy of violence in the poor Naples neighborhood. This scene is truly heartbreaking because this sort of intense and dangerous behavior from men and fathers is deemed standard and expected, despite how cruel it is. This moment is traumatic for both Lila and Elena. While Lila is is verbally and physically abused by her father to the point of her arms breaking, Elena must watch as a bystander unable to do anything to change the tragic outcome for her best friend. Normalized violence is a prime component of the town, therefore a father is capable and allowed to treat his daughter as such without facing repercussions.

“We were ten, soon we would be eleven. I was filling out, Lila remained small and thin, she was light and delicate. Suddenly the shouting stopped and a few seconds later my friend flew out the window, passed over my head, and landed on the asphalt behind me.”

The world that surrounds the young girls is filled with violence forcing them to grow up and gradually lose pieces of their innocence. Lila who is always incredibly strong-willed and resolute is confronted with a physical strength that is able to overpower her tiny body that reveals a fragileness in a person who is usually indestructible.