I Know This Much Is True

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1998

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-11

Chapters 12-21

Chapters 22-30

Chapters 31-40

Chapters 41-48

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Concettina’s Photo Album

Early in the novel, Dominick describes in detail the photo album that is his mother’s most important possession. He has vivid memories of his mother narrating the contents of the photos, which primarily depict her father, Domenico Tempesta, and Dominick and Thomas as children. Because the twins were born on opposite sides of the line dividing 1949 from 1950, they became a minor media sensation, even meeting President Eisenhauer’s wife, Maime. This brief celebrity is a point of great pride for Concettina. Looking at the album’s contents is a way for her to honor her late father, share his legacy with her sons, and take pride in her sons themselves. Thomas, in particular, shares Concettina’s passion for the album, and looking through it together is one of the many ways that they bond—developing a closeness that she does not share with Dominick. Finally, that Concettina exerts great effort to save the album from the house fire that occurs when her sons are young is a testament to how important the album is to her. Its contents are irreplaceable.

For Dominick, the photo album is often a source of frustration—proof not only that Thomas is softer and meeker than him but also that Thomas will never be independent. Dominick is forever linked to Thomas in a way that he often finds burdensome and inescapable. To him, the photo album serves to reinforce this burden.

The Painting of Jesus

When the twins are young, their mother becomes enamored with and purchases a cheap, iridescent velvet painting of Jesus. The painting is not valuable and is considered tacky, but Concettina’s purchase of it—as a luxurious splurge all for herself—is out of character, as she is typically frugal and devotes money only to her sons’ needs. As they head home with the painting, a strange man places his hand on Concettina’s thigh and then follows the family home. When Dominick is an adult, the painting reminds him of this frightening incident. At the time, Dominick, like his mother and brother, is terrified of the man and relieved to have escaped him. He agrees to keep the incident secret from Ray. His mother, however, is certain that the painting protected them from harm. This memory enrages the adult Dominick, who views his mother’s behavior as weak. He is angered at what he perceives to be her lack of agency and her unwillingness to defend herself.

Further, the painting comes to represent Dominick’s rejection of Christianity—he regards God as absent and uncaring, if one does indeed exist, and religious faith to be pointless. Dominick angrily asserts that his mother’s faith ultimately did her no good, as she died a painful death from cancer. Dominick feels, too, that a loving God could not have inflicted such a devastating condition on his brother. Thomas’s unwavering devotion to his own Christian beliefs, then, only confounds Dominick’s anger and doubt.

Domenico’s Manuscript

Dominick’s late grandfather’s memoir takes on shifting meanings as the novel progresses. His mother proudly presents it to him as evidence of Domenico’s greatness and prestige. Though she cannot read the words, Concettina is certain that the document will prove to her son that his grandfather was an honorable person whose hard work and determination led to his success. Dominick, knowing how important her father was to her, plans to gift his mother a translation of the manuscript before she dies. In this way, Dominick believes that he will bring about a kind of completeness to his mother’s life—allowing her to achieve what she never would otherwise in her life: reading her father’s personal story as told through his eyes.

Not only does his mother pass away before the translation is finished, but the memoir also reveals an entirely different man than the portrait his mother had painted for Dominick. The selfish and cruel actions of his grandfather sicken and anger Dominick, as does his boastful, egotistical self-image. Thus, the manuscript causes Dominick to undergo the painful process of reconciling the myth of his grandfather with the truth of who he was. By reading the manuscript, Dominick strips away the false veneer that has been lavished onto Domenico by family lore; Domenico is not a god to be placed on a pedestal but a flawed human who greatly wronged many others in his life. Through the help of Dr. Patel, however, the manuscript becomes a useful tool by which Dominick can learn from his grandfather’s mistakes and grow. The manuscript provides the key to understanding the person that his mother became and allows Dominick to see her in a more positive and sympathetic light.