The narration of the story is tricky when one considers that for the most part, the reader is placed inside the mind of Elena and is not often allowed a genuine glimpse into Lila’s complicated thoughts. However, when Elena is invited to a party by one of her professors and Lila decides to tag along, the reader is given a painful insight into the humiliation in Lila’s heart that Elena later reads from her private notebooks. Elena marks the significance of this event for her friend by noting, “That evening for the first time it had become clear to her that her life would forever be Stefano, the grocery stores, the marriage of her brother and Pinuccia, the conversations with Pasquale and Carmen, the petty war with the Solaras…There, for the entire evening, she had felt irrefutably lost.” (Ferrante 161) Up to this point, Lila feels a sense of regret regarding her marriage to Stefano and everything related to it. She is a force to be reckoned with and cannot nor will not allow herself to be controlled and limited by anyone in any respect. Upon hearing of this party, her hopeful excitement that she would be able to escape her repetitive, demanding and sorrowful marriage life is put off balance by Elena’s hesitancy to bring her there. Evidently, Lila believes that her mysterious and dangerous aura would be a source of attraction to everyone she meets at the party. When she realizes the festivities are fulfilling the opposite of her expectations, the humiliation becomes too much to bear and she feigns boredom. Although her intelligence is boundless and her capacity to learn is admirable, her insecurities and the disrespectful treatment she receives are a reflection of her lack of schooling and awareness of everyday international events. Her pride and ego are damaged heavily at this event and she begins to realize where she is destined to belong.
Even upon realizing this, her attempt to humiliate Elena to conceal her own shame is evidence of denial on Lila’s part. Perhaps, the same stubbornness that does not allow Stefano, her in-laws nor the Solaras to control her every move, is the same sentiment that prevents her from understanding that the marriage trap she has placed herself in is more permanent than she believes. Whatever the extent of her knowledge, according to Elena, Lila is beginning to accept that she belongs to a certain group of people: those who are content with wealth, luxuries, marriage and children. In other words, in Lila’s eyes, a comfortable life that limits a woman’s freedom and persistent efforts of business deceptions that help to increase those lifelong comforts. The vulgarity with which Stefano and everyone around Lila are constantly attempting to pursue the utmost wealthy success, including her own brother, is so far from the world of education and academics of Elena’s world, that it seems as though Lila feels intimidated and unable to catch up with the mental marathon that Lila, herself, has pushed Elena to pursue. She does not wish to be left behind yet does not seem to realize that she, herself, is ahead of Elena in many other aspects of life. It is a matter of comprehending that, in reality, there is a balance to Elena and Lila’s friendship that reveals that intelligence and education take many forms.
The novelty of such an episode stems from the weakness that Lila expresses. From the beginning, the reader becomes intimate with a Lila that is ferocious and indestructible both physically and mentally. However, the humiliating reality of her situation and the decision of placing herself under the hand of Stefano has revealed her human side. The constant mental and physical pressure at home, whether it’s working at the grocery, her husband’s beatings or her miscarriage and the mental pressure of the party has thrown her off balance. She is finally beginning to realize that she cannot control everything. This time, instead of being able to step on the brake to place herself where she deems suitable, she is swerving out of control, unable to understand that she is being led down a dangerous route.
