Fioretta – Sophia – Angela
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Re: Fioretta – Sophia – Angela
They all went through very traumatic things during their lifetime and still lived.
That is strong in itself. Honestly, if I went through the same things they did, I would have lost my sanity, and I don't know that I would have made it out alive. Clearly since Fioretta and Sophia lived most of their lives without a partner, considering Giuliano and Gerhard were assassinated, I think it's safe to say men didn't really have as much of a role in their lives as we may think.
Angela, however, has quite the independent streak that she can tune into whenever she wants, but she does end up relying on Alex a lot. He makes it hard to turn him away.
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I loved Fioretta Gorini relationship with Leonardo and of course with her husband. Sophia, I liked but not as much as Fioretta. Angela's relationship wasn't one I think would last because of the way it started.
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Hi Kendra! Your analysis of Fioretta, Sophia, and Angela is amazing; and I completely I agree with you!Kendra M Parker wrote: ↑07 Jun 2018, 07:38I might not go with “strong” but I would certainly say that these women were all counter-cultural. None of them were driven by social conventions. That doesn’t necessarily make them strong, simply unconcerned with social convention. I think what would make a woman stronger in literature would be to see her defy authorities in some way to make a significant change. None of these women really made a change to society or a significant difference in the lives they led.cristinaro wrote: ↑03 Jun 2018, 04:10 Fioretta Gorini works as a model for Leonardo at a time when girls posing for artists were considered either fools or wanton women.
Sophia Caro plans to elope with a German officer precisely during the Nazi occupation of Florence.
Angela Renatus stands up to her sexually harassing boss while risking her one-life career opportunity at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Would you call them strong women? What is their relationship with the men in their lives?
That said, I would not call any of these women weak, either. I’d just like to see them make a bigger impact on those around them.
Fioretta was unconcerned enough that she went to Mass on Easter, but she did not fight to hang onto her life when her delivery went wrong.
Sophia went along with the plan to steal the painting even though she felt it was wrong.
Angela defied her boss, but only privately. She quit and refused to press charges for harassment or when her home was broken into. She didn’t want to make waves.
I’ve enjoyed reading about these women, but I willl say that I don’t feel they are great representations of strong women in literature. Someone more like Mina from Dracula, who defied social conventions by being a secretary, nearly becoming a vampire, and going on an extreme adventure to save herself would be a different matter. Or Jane Eyre who refused marriage when offered to her (twice!) before she went back and rescued her love. Or Hester Prynn (The Scarlet Letter) who refused to divulge the name of her daughter's father and chose to live with the condemnation and suffer the consequences to protect her lover. These are strong women in literature.
To add to your observations, I was also bothered by the people that Fioretta and Sophia became after losing their significant others. Although these ladies were not weak due to their willingness to defy certain accepted social norms, they were no longer willing to overcome obstacles after the death of their lovers; and as a result, their children suffered from the lack of both parents' love.
In summary, these women might have been independent; but after the lost of their lovers, one realizes their severe and unhealthy co-dependence on their partners. The reader probably also noticed Angela's same co-dependence on Alex. Although the story of Angela and Alex is currently not as heart-breaking as their past lives', one could reasonably assume that Angela might lose her will to overcome any complication - if Alex had a tragic demise.
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I did see Angela as a damsel in distress too. Alex was her knight in shining armor. But, I see Sophia and Fioretta as stronger women than Angela was. And, in the end, they gave her their strength.
Recent Binge watch: MSTK3, Midsomer Murders, the Office
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Ultimately, it seemed to be that Angela was the one who learned from her past lives in order to successful combat her present struggles.
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