logo

73 pages 2 hours read

Mercury Pictures Presents

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Character Analysis

Maria Lagana

Maria is a driven career woman in a male-dominated world who carries a terrible burden of childhood guilt. Her impulsive decision to burn her father’s papers leads to his arrest and imprisonment and her emigration, together with her mother, to the United States. Because she emigrated at a young age, Maria experiences feelings of internal fragmentation and dissociation from the past, which characterizes many of the younger immigrants in the novel. Once in the United States, Maria assimilates into the American way of life and increasingly leaves her mother behind. Maria longs to reconnect with her mother and understand her, while Annunziata considers their estrangement and inability to bridge their gaps as a positive sign of the advantages that she has given her daughter in life.

The Catholic Italian names of mother and daughter—Maria and Annunziata—together with the father’s name, Giuseppe (Joseph in Italian), associate both women with the annunciation and birth of Jesus to Mary. Metaphorically, her name might imply that Maria should somehow “give birth” to a future hope of redemption for the various characters in the novel. Maria resolutely refuses to marry or reproduce, instead dedicating herself to her career. Even though she is the backbone of Mercury Pictures, she is repeatedly denied any recognition or reward for her work because she is a woman.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 73 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,550+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools