Flowering Judas

“The excess of [Braggioni’s] self love has flowed out, inconveniently for her, over Laura, who, with so many others, owes her comfortable situation and her salary to him.”

Laura is indebted to Braggioni and feels beholden to him, but she does not enjoy or encourage his attention. This passage establishes the power differential between Laura and Braggioni and relates to the theme of Female Objectification and Oppression because Laura is under his control financially, relationally, and practically in her home.

“The gluttonous bulk of Braggioni has become a symbol of her many disillusions, for a revolutionist should be lean, animated by heroic faith, a vessel of abstract virtues.”

Laura finds Braggioni to be lacking in the qualities of a true revolutionary hero; he does not embody either the physical characteristics or internal faith that would encompass the values of revolution and social justice. He exemplifies and symbolizes Laura’s loss of faith and disillusionment; she is let down both by who he is as a leader and by the cause that results in suffering and death.

“She has encased herself in a set of principals derived from her early training, leaving no detail of gesture or of personal taste untouched, and for this reason she will not wear lace made on machines.”

Laura’s internal contradictions are exposed in this passage. By visiting a church and buying homemade lace, she holds onto certain elements of her upbringing even though they are counter to the Socialist cause. Her former religious faith and American childhood are an integral part of her and she cannot divorce herself from those influences. This underscores the theme of Betrayal of Self and Others as it exposes Laura’s secrecy and hypocrisy.