Summary The late Mattia Pascal


L. Pirandello
The late Mattia Pascal
Matthia Pascal, a former curator of books in a library, bequeathed by a certain Signor Bokkamats to his native city, writes the story of his life. Father Mattia died early, and the mother remained with two children – six-year-old Roberto and four-year-old Mattia. All affairs were conducted by the manager of Batta Malanya, who soon ruined the family of the former owner. After the death of the first wife, the elderly Malanya married the young Oliva, to whom Matthia was not indifferent, but they had no children, and Malanya began to offend Oliva, believing it to be her fault. Oliva suspected that it was not in her, but in Malanya, but decency prevented her from testing her suspicions. Friend Mattia Pomino told him that he was in love with his cousin Malanya Romilda. Her mother wanted to marry the girl to the rich man Malanya, but it did not work out, and now that Malanya began to repent of his marriage to the childless Oliva, devises

new machinations. Mattia wants to help Pomino to marry Romilda and makes her acquaintance. He always tells Romilda about Pomino, but the lover is so timid that she eventually falls in love not with him, but with Mattia. The girl is so good that Mattia can not resist and becomes her lover. He is going to marry her, and then she suddenly breaks off with him. Oliva complains to Mattia’s mother for Malanya: he received evidence that they have no children through no fault of his own, and triumphantly told her about it. Mattia realizes that Romilda and her mother were deceitfully deceived both himself and Malanya and in revenge makes Oliva a child. Then Malanya accuses Mattia of having dishonored and ruined his niece Romilda. Malanya says that out of pity for the poor girl, she wanted to adopt her child when he was born, but now, When the Lord sent him into consolation a legitimate child from his own wife, he no longer can call himself the father of another child who will be born to his niece. Mattia remains foolish and forced to marry Romilda, as her mother threatens him with a scandal. Immediately after the wedding,
Matthia’s relationship with Romilda deteriorate. She and her mother can not forgive him that he has deprived his legitimate child, for now all Malanya’s condition will pass to the child of Oliva. Romilda has twin girls, Oliva has a boy. One of the girls dies in a few days, the other, to which Matthia has time to become very attached, has not survived until a year. Rememberingly, whose father becomes a member of the municipality, Mattia helps to get a librarian’s place in the Bokkamazzi library. Once, after a family scandal, Mattia, in whose hands a small amount of money happened to be, which is not known either by the wife or mother-in-law, leaves home and goes to Monte Carlo. There he goes to the casino, where he wins about eighty-two thousand lire. Suicide of one of the players makes him change his mind, he stops playing and goes home. Mattia imagines how his wife and mother-in-law will marvel at the unexpected wealth, he is going to buy the mill in Stia and live peacefully in the village. Having bought the newspaper, Matthia reads it on the train and stumbles upon an announcement that in his country, in Mirano, in a mill gateway in Stia, a corpse was found that is strongly decayed, in which everyone recognized the librarian Mattia Pascal, who disappeared a few days ago. People believe that the cause of suicide was monetary difficulties. Mattia is shocked, he suddenly realizes that he is completely free: everyone considers him dead – hence, he now has no debts, no wife, no mother-in-law, and he can do whatever he pleases. He rejoices at the opportunity; live as it were two lives and decides to live them in two different guises. From his former life he will have only a mowing eye. He chooses a new name: from now on his name is Adriano Meis. He changes his hair, clothes, comes up with a new biography, throws out the wedding ring. He travels, but he must live modestly, because he must stretch his money for the rest of his life: the lack of documents deprives him of the opportunity to enter the service. He can not even buy a dog: you have to pay taxes for it, and for this you also need documents. henceforth his name is Adriano Meis. He changes his hair, clothes, comes up with a new biography, throws out the wedding ring. He travels, but he must live modestly, because he must stretch his money for the rest of his life: the lack of documents deprives him of the opportunity to enter the service. He can not even buy a dog: you have to pay taxes for it, and for this you also need documents. henceforth his name is Adriano Meis. He changes his hair, clothes, comes up with a new biography, throws out the wedding ring. He travels, but he must live modestly, because he must stretch his money for the rest of his life: the lack of documents deprives him of the opportunity to enter the service. He can not even buy a dog: you have to pay taxes for it, and for this you also need documents.
Mattia decides to settle in Rome. He takes a room from Anselmo Paleari – an old eccentric who takes a great interest in spiritualism. Mattia gets a great sympathy for his youngest daughter Adriana – a modest kind girl, honest and decent. Adriana’s son-in-law Terencio Piano after the death of Adriana’s sister must return Anselmo’s dowry, as his wife died childless. He asked Anselmo for a postponement and wants to marry Adrian, so as not to return money. But Adriana is afraid and hates the rough, prudent son-in-law, she falls in love with Mattia Pascal. Papiano is confident that Mattia is rich, and wants to introduce him to an enviable bride – Pepita Pantogada, to distract him from Adriana. He invites Pepita to Anselmo for a seance. Pepita comes along with the governess and the Spanish artist Bernaldes.
During the spiritualistic session, in which all the occupants of the house take part, Mattia, from the locker, is losing twelve thousand lire. Only Papano could steal them.
Adriana suggests Mattia to report to the police, but he can not claim theft – he’s nobody, he’s revived dead. He can not marry Adrian, however much he loves her, for he is married. To hush up the case, he prefers to lie, as if money were found. In order not to torment Adrian, Mattia decides to behave so that Adrian ceases to love him. He wants to start taking care of Pepita Pantogada. But the jealous Bernaldes, by which Mattia accidentally offended, offends him, and the code of honor obliges Mattia to call Bernaldes to a duel. D Mattia can not find the seconds – it turns out that to do this you need to keep a lot of formalities, which can not be done without documents.
Mattia sees that his second life has come to a standstill, and leaving a cane and hat on the bridge so everyone thinks that he has rushed into the water, gets on the train and goes to his homeland.
From Adriano Meisa, he only has a healthy eye: Mattia did the operation and no longer mows.
Arriving home, Mattia first visits his brother Roberto. Roberto is shocked and does not believe his eyes. He tells Mattia that Romilda married Pomino after his alleged suicide, but now her second marriage will be null and void by law, and she is obliged to return to Mattia. Mattia does not want this at all: Pomino and Romilda have a little daughter – why destroy their family happiness? Yes, he does not like Romilda. Pomino and Romilda are amazed and perplexed to see Mattia alive, after more than two years after his disappearance. Mattia reassures them: he does not need anything from them.
On the street no one will recognize Mattia Pascal: everyone thinks he is dead.
Mattia goes to the cemetery, looks for the grave of an unknown person, whom everyone accepted for him, reads the felt inscription on the gravestone and puts flowers on the grave.
He settles in the house of his old aunt. From time to time he comes to the cemetery “to look at himself – dead and buried.” Some curious man asks, “But who are you?” Mattia shrugs, squints and answers: “I am the late Mattia Pascal” .
With the help of Don Elijo, who replaced Matthia as the curator of books at Bokkamaodi’s library, Mattia presents his strange story on paper for half a year. In a conversation with Don Eligio, he says that he does not understand what kind of morality can be derived from it. But Don Elijo argues that there is no doubt that there is a moral in this story, and this is what: “Outside of the established law, beyond those particular circumstances, joyful or sad, which make us ourselves… impossible to live.”


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Summary The late Mattia Pascal