The recurring motif of blood represents the inextricable link between violence, family (often associated with the language of “bloodlines”) and power in the criminal underworld. Nero’s christening, where he is baptized in the blood of a murdered enemy, is a shocking perversion of a religious rite that redefines family initiation as an act of bloodshed. This act establishes violence as the foundational language of their society. For the Ferrantes, this tradition begins at birth; Vello recalls that Achilles, like his brothers, “had been baptized in Vello’s enemy’s blood when he was a newborn” (xiii). The presence of blood as part of a family initiation ceremony reflects that violence is an inextricable part of belonging within the Ferrante family. 

The motif of blood extends to the most intimate moments, such as when Achilles’s stab wound bleeds onto the sheets as he and Tierney have sex. The presence of blood during their intimate encounter reflects how violence and desire are linked for them: The fact that Tierney has just severely wounded him does not dissuade Achilles from desiring her. Since blood is the ultimate currency within the world of the novel, it is used to seal pacts, prove loyalty, and claim ownership; the blood-soaked sheets act as a kind of sacrament, confirming the unshakeable bond between Tierney and Achilles. The bloody sexual encounter parallels the bloody baptism as a kind of ritual, sealing their bond in the same way that a bloody baptism seals a Ferrante child’s initiation into the family. It also reflects their attachment to one another and their status as first loves: Bloody sheets sometimes evoke a loss of virginity and while neither Achilles nor Tierney is a virgin when they begin sleeping together, they experience a new kind of intimacy when they begin their sexual relationship.