Monte Carmelo by Anthony L. LaRuffa

Author:Anthony L. LaRuffa [LaRuffa, Anthony L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
ISBN: 9781134288779
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2021-12-24T05:00:00+00:00

MARIO'S FAMILY

Despite the large exodus of Italian-Americans from the community during the late 1960s and the 1970s, there were still families emigrating from Italy and settling in Monte Carmelo. Mario’s family is one such family.

The following people comprise Mario’s household:

Father: A forty four-year-old construction worker who completed eight years of schooling, he emigrated from Flumieri (in the Naples vicinity) in 1973 and took up residence with a brother who lived in Monte Carmelo. It wasn’t long before he obtained a position with a construction company. In 1974 he returned to Flumieri in order to bring his family over. He moved them into a two-bedroom apartment in Monte Carmelo which was renting for $140 per month. When they moved out of Monte Carmelo six years later to a nearby residential neighborhood, the rent had gone up to a mere $170 a month.

Mario’s father joined a hometown association consisting of men who had emigrated from Potenza. He enjoys playing cards and bocce (bowling-type game) with his association brothers, and occasionally goes to soccer matches. Mario’s parents frequently go out together to visit relatives or to attend mass.

Mother: She is a year older than her husband, has completed the second grade of elementary school, and works as a seamstress. Like her husband, she was born in Flumieri.

Mario’s mother is the most religious member of the household. She has a special devotion to St. Anthony and keeps a statue of the saint in front of the house. In addition to her traditional Catholic beliefs and practices, she holds to some folk beliefs and remedies. For her, mal occhio continues to afflict people. She and others tend to view this particular condition as a form of witchcraft. Poor health, an accident, a string of bad luck, or perhaps something as commonplace as a headache — all of these things and other misfortunes as well — are the telltale signs that the hapless victims are suffering the woes of the evil eye. Maybe an envious neighbor, friend, paesano, or even a relative, has unleased an evil force, willingly or otherwise, which undermines the well-being of the person. The most effective method in dealing with the probability of being afflicted is to use the appropriate prophylactic device — an amulet shaped in the form of horns. Failing that, and in the event that you encounter someone whom you suspect to be harboring the evil eye, one simply extends one’s index finger and pinky finger towards the person. This is done in a surreptitious manner to avoid any recriminations.

Mario: The oldest of six children, five boys and one girl, Mario is twenty two years old and a senior at one of the City Univesity’s four-year colleges where he is majoring in business management. When he arrived from Italy at the age of fifteen, he was placed in the eighth grade at the local junior high school. Soon thereafter, he was shifted to the seventh grade, mainly because of language difficulties. Ultimately, Mario convinced the school officials that he was capable of doing work well above his grade level.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.