Beginning Middle End

The Mediterranean winds are a pervasive motif that structures the novel and externalizes the characters’ psychological states. The Mediterranean Sea is affected by numerous winds, each of which has its own “character” (regional winds are diagrammed on wind roses, compasses that show a wind’s directional origin, which helps sailors maintain bearing at sea). The four winds that the novel focuses on are Levante, Ponente, Scirocco (or Sirocco, in English), and Mistral. Each of the book’s main parts is named after one of these winds, and their traditional characteristics foreshadow the section’s emotional atmosphere and narrative direction.

The journey begins with the Levante, a humid eastern wind that brings a sense of hope and the possibility of a “real beginning” (14). The story then moves into the Ponente, a mild western wind that brings clarity, and culminates in the chaotic and dangerous Scirocco, a heavy and humid wind that blows from the southeast, often bearing Saharan sand that affects visibility. This structural choice connects the family’s personal story to the uncontrollable, elemental forces of the natural world, reinforcing the theme of Parental Anxiety Amid Global Instability. The mother’s internal turmoil and struggle to navigate her new life are mirrored by the unpredictable and often overwhelming power of the winds. The taxi driver’s early description of the Scirocco, a wind that “carries sands from the Sahara, turns the sky red or orange, and makes people angry, anxious, or insane” (13), is a prophetic warning for the crises that unfold in the novel’s final act. The winds are an active force shaping the narrative, suggesting that human lives are perpetually subject to larger, mythic currents. The novel’s conclusion with Mistral suggests resolution in retrospect. The appendix that takes its name from this wind contains the visual artifacts that blur the boundary between fact and fiction, creating a sense of verisimilitude that suggests the narrative happened in real life. However, it also creates a sense of stability, one that suggests the mother and the daughter no longer live in a state of uncertainty or flux. Rather, their story has been given new order by the daughter assuming the role of family mythologist and archivist.

The distinctive red and green volumes of the Loeb Classical Library are a recurring motif representing a direct, tangible connection to the ancient past and its lasting relevance. These books become active tools for the mother and daughter to navigate their uncertain present. They function as an oracle through the pair’s “question game,” offering cryptic but meaningful guidance, and serve as the foundation for their shared education in mythology and history. The daughter’s deep engagement with Pliny’s Natural History, in particular, marks her intellectual awakening and her development into a storyteller in her own right. This motif is the primary vehicle for exploring the theme of Myth as a Framework for Reality, as the characters consistently turn to these ancient texts from Seneca’s Trojan Women to Hesiod’s Theogony to find patterns and language for their own experiences.

The decision to steal the books at the end of Part 1 is a key moment, symbolizing the women’s act of reclaiming this classical knowledge from a man who curated but did not use it. By taking the books, they assert that these stories belong to those who will actively use them to interpret the world and invent a future.