The Mill on the Po: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Mill on the Po: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives of the central figures surrounding St. Michael's mill, owned by Lazzaro Scacerni. Lazzaro, who built the mill using inheritance from a former soldier, is a resilient figure, managing to keep the business afloat amid various adversities, including wars and floods. Despite his success, he grapples with personal conflicts, particularly regarding his son, Giuseppe, whose cunning and cowardice drive him to engage in smuggling activities, threatening the family’s legacy.
Cecilia, an orphan raised by Lazzaro, embodies sacrifice as she marries Giuseppe to protect Lazzaro from the law, further complicating their intertwined fates. The narrative also introduces other characters like Dosolina, Lazzaro's devoted wife, and Beffa, a mill helper whose involvement with smugglers leads to his demise. Through these characters, the story explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the impact of socio-political turmoil on personal relationships, culminating in a poignant reflection on family and legacy. The text paints a vivid picture of life along the Po River, showcasing the challenges faced during a tumultuous period in history.
The Mill on the Po: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Riccardo Bacchelli
First published: Il mulino del Po, 1938–1940 (English translation, 1950, 1955)
Genre: Novel
Locale: The region of the Po River, near Ferrera, Italy
Plot: Historical
Time: 1812–1872
Lazzaro Scacerni (lahz-ZAH-roh ska-CHEHR-nee), owner of St. Michael's mill on the Po River. He builds the mill with money inherited from a dying captain he met in Napoleon Bonaparte's Russian campaign. Although illiterate, he creates a good business and maintains his mill through the adversities of flood, war, and political upheaval. He hates the smugglers in the neighborhood who use his beloved mill as a rendezvous, and he is outraged when his own son becomes involved in smuggling grain to the Austrian enemy in the 1840's.
Giuseppe Scacerni (jee-ew-SEHP-peh), the cowardly and crafty son of Lazzaro. He cares nothing for his father's mill and trade except its profits. He takes a part in selling grain to his country's enemies. He forces Cecilia to marry him through threats: If she marries him, he agrees he will not inform the authorities that his father possesses concealed firearms. When Giuseppe's son dies while fighting with Garibaldi, he loses his reason, and he is at last confined in a madhouse.
Dosolina Scacerni (doh-soh-LEE-nah), wife of the miller Lazzaro. Although Lazzaro is attractive to women and makes many conquests, he chooses this poor but delicately beautiful girl to be his wife. She is twenty years his junior. In 1855, she dies of cholera. Lazzaro follows her in death the next day.
Cecilia Scacerni, an orphan befriended, when a child, by Lazzaro. Her parents' mill is washed up on the shore of the river near St. Michael's mill during a flood. Lazzaro reestablishes her mill and cares for her as he would his own daughter. She sacrifices her own happiness to save her benefactor from prison by marrying Giuseppe. She is the last of the Scacerni family left to tend St. Michael's mill.
Beffa, a helper at the mill who incurs Lazzaro's wrath by declaring that the miller has been cuckolded. He is a tool of the smugglers who operate near the mill. He is killed in a gang feud.
Raguseo (rah-GEW-seh-oh), leader of the gang of smugglers who rendezvous at St. Michael's mill. He threatens to harm the miller when Beffa is fired from his job as the miller's helper. Like Beffa, he is killed when a feud breaks out in the gang.
Lazzarino Scacerni (lahz-zah-REE-noh), the son of Giuseppe and Cecilia. Vigorous and intelligent like his grandfather and a joy to both his parents, he is killed while fighting as a volunteer with Garibaldi.