The View From Lake Como

Throughout the novel, marble is a motif that demonstrates The Damaging Nature of Family Secrets and is a symbol of human fragility and beauty. Early on, Jess writes a journal entry that describes her uncle’s anxiety whenever Capodimonte Marble and Stone received a shipment of marble from Italy. She explains, “Marble is delicate, even though it’s a workhorse. Hit the stone in a vulnerable spot, it shatters, and you end up with slag. In this way, marble is a lot like a human being” (56-57). Slag is essentially a valueless byproduct of manufacturing and mining. Marble’s unpredictable fragility seems counterintuitive, given its reputation for durability. Like people, it can seem tough, yet still maintains a delicate nature.

This is similar to the way Jess has endured multiple disappointments, sustained the loss of several beloved family members, and managed panic attacks and long-standing anxieties about fitting in with her family and community; she’s repeatedly showed tremendous strength, but learning of her parents’ choice to prioritize Joe’s education over her own is the final revelation that metaphorically “shatters” her. Jess returns to this symbolic idea near the end of the novel, claiming, “The way to make yourself whole is to understand what shattered you to pieces in the first place” (380).