Chapters 17 - 18 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 17

The chapter opens with a letter from Matera. Carlo is to be allowed holiday in Grassano to be allowed to complete some paintings. The trip to Grassano pleases Carlo and brings back to him a sense of life from the end of his extended solitude. Carlo describes the trip to Grassano in detail. He ends up at the door of Prisco's inn and is greeted by Prisco, a strong, boisterous, cheerful man of fifty years. His wife was gentle, quiet, and tall. They have several children together. Their oldest son is called by a nickname, "Capitano" because he leads the other boys. He is about thirteen or fourteen. Carlo notes that the peasants of Grassano are as poor as those in Gagliano, but in Grassano there was a large middle class of skilled laborers. It changed the feel...