Moravia’s ‘Agostino’: A character with serious mommy issues, who would make Freud’s dreams come true

The novel “Agostino” chronicles the journey of its title character, a young child approaching adolescence, navigating through the turbulent waters of emerging sexuality and self-discovery. Moravia portrays Agostino’s path with sensitivity and nuance, skillfully capturing the essence of youth.

At first, I thought the novel would be about coming of age, a charming summer romance, or something along the lines of the movie ‘Call me by your name’. What I did not expect was Agostino’s love-hate relationship with his mother, as well as his infatuation with her. “Agostino” is more than just a coming-of-age story; it’s a profound investigation into the nature of desire and one’s search for identity in a world full of contradictions. As Agostino grapples with his emerging sexuality and the intricacies of adult relationships, he finds himself confronting the darker sides of his own character, resulting in a reckoning that will change the path of his future.

As a psych student, obviously, the first person you hear about is Sigmund Freud and his works. Having read a few of his works in my previous classes I couldn’t help but view this book through a Freudian lens. Agostino’s exploration of his burgeoning sexuality, particularly in his fascination with the sea and its symbolic associations with the maternal womb. The sea represents both the source of life and the unknown depths of the unconscious mind, serving as a metaphor for Agostino’s journey of self-discovery and sexual awakening. As readers, we can see that the most scenes that explore Agostino’s sexuality either take place In the sea

Nonetheless, I believe that this topic speaks to Agostino’s character and his innocence, particularly at the beginning and middle of the story. Agostino is highly pampered and privileged, which made me think about class in the story. Berto and the group are clearly lower-class than Agostino, and it was fascinating how hanging around with them allowed him to develop a new viewpoint. These band of boys he encounters were borderline sociopathic at best. It surprised me how nasty all of these boys were to Agostino for no apparent reason. Although I agree that boy friend groups are always a little hostile in some ways. I found that the extremes of harassment that Agostino experiences are terrible. Like I get it there was a huge gap in their lifestyle, but why do you have to be so mean???

I can’t wait for this weeks discussion, it’s definitely going to be an interesting one for sure.

Discussion Question: Throughout the plot of ‘Augustino,’ the protagonist is confronted with a variety of internal and external conflicts. How do these conflicts influence his character development, and what do they reflect about the human condition?