This study explores the narrative structure and thematic complexity of Son of Italy by Pascal D’Angelo, positioning it as a work that transcends its role as a mere testimony of Italian immigration to the United States. It argues that the novel develops a dual-layered narrative: on the one hand, a first-person account oscillating between past and present; on the other, an introspective reconstruction of personal experience in real time. The protagonist, a poor boy from the Abruzzese mountains, confronts both the illusions and the brutal realities of the American Dream, in the end transforming his marginal condition through literature and self- cultivation. The evolving perception of America – from a mythologized land of opportunity to a site of exploitation and alienation, and finally to a place of personal rebirth through literary success – constitutes the central thread of the narrative. The article further situates Son of It- aly within the broader framework of 1920s American literature, emphasizing its distinctive voice and the author’s insistence on “truth” as both a poetic and existential imperative. Ulti- mately, D’Angelo’s work is interpreted as a Bildungsroman of the immigrant experience, articu- lating not only the traumas of displacement but also the potential for creative transcendence.
Breaking “the Chrysalis”: The American Dream in Pascal D’Angelo’s Son of Italy
Francesca D'Alfonso
2025-01-01
Abstract
This study explores the narrative structure and thematic complexity of Son of Italy by Pascal D’Angelo, positioning it as a work that transcends its role as a mere testimony of Italian immigration to the United States. It argues that the novel develops a dual-layered narrative: on the one hand, a first-person account oscillating between past and present; on the other, an introspective reconstruction of personal experience in real time. The protagonist, a poor boy from the Abruzzese mountains, confronts both the illusions and the brutal realities of the American Dream, in the end transforming his marginal condition through literature and self- cultivation. The evolving perception of America – from a mythologized land of opportunity to a site of exploitation and alienation, and finally to a place of personal rebirth through literary success – constitutes the central thread of the narrative. The article further situates Son of It- aly within the broader framework of 1920s American literature, emphasizing its distinctive voice and the author’s insistence on “truth” as both a poetic and existential imperative. Ulti- mately, D’Angelo’s work is interpreted as a Bildungsroman of the immigrant experience, articu- lating not only the traumas of displacement but also the potential for creative transcendence.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
