The Leopard by Giuseppe DI Lampedusa, Essay Example

The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa tells a story of war and revolution that is occurring in 19^th century Italy. The use of characters in this story is important because it helps the reader understand the roles that individuals played in conflict and an attempt to retain power, in addition to the sentiments from those that intend to fight this power. The reveal of characters is essential to the story because each individual represents a historic figure that helps the reader gain a greater appreciation of war and the roles that individuals played to contribute to the change of politics and class in Italy.

The Prince is introduced in a manner that emphasizes his glamour. When the story opens, he is in a very decorated drawing room, a place where his family recites the rosary each morning. It is apparent that the prince represents convention in this sense. It is expected for nobility to be regularly practicing Catholics, which contributes to their ability to remain in power. In addition, it is not surprising that the prince is able to live a life of luxury that he wishes to preserve. While there are those that wish to push him and his family out of power, he enjoys his life too much to let this happen without a fight.

Even though the prince is exposed to lovely exteriors, we have the opportunity to see within his thoughts when he is first introduced. He recalls a Neapolitan soldier who had died in his garden with his guts exposed. This appears to be a painful memory for the prince that blinds the beauty of the garden he is standing in. This shows that he is reflective of past events and questions their existence and relationship to events that are occurring in the present.

When the prince is first introduced, his character becomes known immediately. When he tells his family that he wishes to visit Palermo, they immediately understand that he is doing so because he wants to visit the brothel. Thus, we see that the prince is not necessarily an ethical individual. While he attempts to uphold the sense that his family is righteous, he himself disobeys many of the ideas that they cherish. For example, while he pretends to be religious, it is apparent that he is engaging in sin by visiting the brothel. His own wife shows that she feels impure concerning their relations by using the sign of the cross before their intercourse.

The Prince appears to be able to do anything that he wants, although he is stuck in the past. He does not appear fully content with anything that he has or is able to do, which may stem from the freedom that he has. We can understand a lot about how the prince feels from his actions. Although we are required to make inferences, it seems that the prince is simply going through the motions. A lot of what he does it based on suggestions from his family and even his own decisions don’t seem to be the best choice in his own opinion. Overall, the prince represents the change of an era. He recognizes that war represents a drive for change that he is not able to resist. As time continues, change will impact his life even more significantly.