“The Story of a New Name” depicts Lila and Lenu on distinct life paths. Lila is trapped in the role of a 1960s housewife, which “enclosed her in a sort of glass container” (Ferrante 57). She came to the realization that she is indeed her husband “Carracci’s possession” (Ferrante 39) and she must obey his sexual desires and submit to his will. This subordination is habitual for all of the housewives like Lila, for when she returns from her honeymoon with a black eye and bruises no one views the abuse as abnormal, especially her mother.

Despite her captivity in marriage, Lila is still a complex woman, different than the other women of the neighborhood. Lila is able to buy whatever she wants, whenever she wants, just by simply using her new last name. She is able to continue her friendship with Lenu, the one person who makes her happiest and truly completes her. Through Lenu, Lila is granted a look into life outside of the confines of her existence. Lenu is Lila’s ticket to the escape the two girls always longed for as children, therefore Lila continues to push Lenu to study and excel in her education.

Lila still knows how to manipulate others and despite not holding a physical strength, she holds a different rebellious power over men. Regardless of her role as a 1960s housewife, “Lila was Lila, not an ordinary girl of the neighborhood” (Ferrante, 52). Lila craves a life that only Lenu is able to acquire, while Lenu desperately wants to live her life through Lila, creating a balance and reciprocated need for dependency, which continues to be a staple of their friendship.