The Argentine Ant by Italo Calvino
"The Argentine Ant" by Italo Calvino is a narrative that blends absurdity with a subtle critique of human nature and societal norms. The story follows a man who moves with his wife and infant son to a picturesque cottage in a Ligurian village, only to be confronted by an overwhelming infestation of Argentine ants. Initially troubling, the ants become a source of humor and frustration as the family seeks help from various neighbors, each with their own ineffective and often comical strategies for ant control. The tale explores themes of domesticity, the futility of human efforts against nature, and the absurdity of relying on commercial solutions for personal problems, as epitomized by the ineffectual Argentine Ant Control Corporation.
As the narrative unfolds, the couple faces increasingly bizarre situations, including a landlady whose own home is heavily infested and a neighbor who devises elaborate traps, illustrating the absurd lengths to which people will go to maintain their sense of control and cleanliness. The story culminates in a moment of resignation and acceptance, as the family seeks solace by the sea, reflecting on their plight amidst the unrelenting presence of ants. Through this lens, Calvino encapsulates the intersection of human life with the natural world, highlighting not only the chaos of life but also the humor found within it.
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The Argentine Ant by Italo Calvino
First published: "La formica argentina," 1952 (English translation, 1957)
Type of plot: Fable
Time of work: The mid-twentieth century
Locale: A coastal village in Liguria, Italy
Principal Characters:
The unnamed narrator His wife Their infant son Signora Mauro , their landladySignor Reginaudo , their neighborCaptain Brauni , a nearby neighborSignor Baudino , from the Argentine Ant Control Corporation
The Story
Acting on the advice of his uncle, a man moves his wife and infant son to a small rented cottage in a Ligurian coastal village in Italy. At first, all seems idyllic, but on their first night, as they prepare for bed, they discover that their kitchen is swarming with ants. "Argentine ants," the narrator informs his wife, and he remembers being told that this is the country of the Argentine ant. After the narrator calms his wife, they retire to bed; they are awakened by the cries of their baby and find his bed is filled with ants.
The next day, the narrator considers the situation, noting that the yard, which he had planned to convert to a garden, is alive with ants. He visits Signor Reginaudo, their nearest neighbor, for advice, and finds that the old man and his wife have used, and found practically useless, every ant spray, poison, and powder available. Still, the Reginaudos are not discouraged and actually laugh at themselves, the ants, and the ridiculous situation. They arm the narrator with a variety of concoctions, carefully chosen to be harmless to the baby, and return him to his family.
The narrator then rushes off to see Captain Brauni, another neighbor with his own way of fighting the ants. Captain Brauni has transformed his house and yard into a maze of ant traps. Some ants are destroyed when they fall off a narrow wire into a can of gasoline; he kills an average of forty ants a minute, Captain Brauni says with almost comic precision. Many other devices are scattered about. Captain Brauni orders his wife to bring out a sack; it is filled with dead ants. His insanely rational plan is to kill enough worker ants so that the queens will begin to starve and leave their nests; only then can the problem be solved. He promises to construct a device for the narrator.
As the days progress, the narrator and his wife discover that neither poisons nor contraptions are effective. One afternoon a strange man comes through their property, leaving small saucers of molasses scattered about. It is Signor Baudino, known as the ant man, from the Argentine Ant Control Corporation. Supposedly he is spreading poison, but most residents agree with Signor Reginaudo that the corporation is actually feeding the ants to keep business thriving.
The narrator and his wife call on Signora Mauro, their landlady, to ask why she failed to mention the ants before they rented the house. Signora Mauro insists that a truly clean house should have no problem with ants; hers certainly does not. As they sit in her large, dark house, they notice that she is subtly moving and twitching; the narrator realizes that ants are crawling under her clothes and that her house is even more thoroughly infested than their own.
When they return to their house, they find an ant has crawled into the baby's ear. It is flushed out with warm oil, but the situation is intolerable for the wife. She rushes down the street with a crowd of women behind her and the narrator tagging along; they arrive at the office of the Argentine Ant Control Corporation and confront the ant man, who first makes general denials and then runs off. There is nothing to be done. That evening, the couple and their baby walk down to the coast, to the sea and a fresh wind but no ants. They sit and watch the ocean.