Alberto Moravia, Agostino

This week's reading Agostino by Alberto Moravia was an interesting and easy read that gave voice to sexuality, class, and maturity. I was slightly uncomfortable with the relationship between Agostino and his mother and how he viewed her. It definitely did not help the situation when his mother welcomed a young man, Renzo, who had the same friendly and spontaneous ease that characterized her relations with her son. The thought of sharing his mom or not having his mother complete desirable attention made him extremely jealous. This betrayed behaviour made me think that he had a hard time accepting his family dynamics. The betrayal was hard for him to take since he may have thought she was not just leaving him but also moving on from his dead father.
 
Agostino seems to have lost his childhood and is confused with growing up. He seems confused with his true identity. He explores brothels, experiments with risky behaviour, like smoking, and sneaking out to hang out with his friends. It is definitely not easy for a thirteen-year-old teen during this stage of life. We all went through these fragile years of coming to maturity and handling all the emotions and questions that came with it. Alberto Moravia did a great job setting the scenes and the feelings felt by Agostino coming to face the separation he was getting from his mother. I think this confusion and loss of innocence Agostino feels has a lot to do with his father not being there. I believe as a growing boy with all these emotions coming in, it's more difficult without a father figure present to help guide the situation. I sympathize with the narrator as he is going through a significant milestone in his life and does not have any guidance or support. His new friends are not quite the mentors as he is repeatedly humiliated for his weakness and ignorance regarding women and sex. 
 
I could not stop making connections to Freud’s Oedipus Complex throughout reading this novel. Everything that I learned in psychology made me wonder how much Freud would love to dive into Agostino's mind and make sense of his secret unconscious thoughts and desires on his mother since many psychoanalysis were present.
 
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was an easy and detailed read. It was easy for me to be captivated within the book, feel the confusion from the narrative, and visualize the imagery and scenery of the beaches and boats of Tuscany. My question for the class is: How would a father figure have helped Agostino navigate these difficult changes?