Work by David Plante
"Work" by David Plante is a nuanced narrative centered around the quiet life of Robert, an American man, as he awaits the arrival of his Italian lover, Alessandro. Set against the backdrop of a rural Italian community, the story unfolds with Robert preparing for Alessandro's return while also engaging with Beppo, the young son of a local widow. The interactions among these characters highlight themes of anticipation, social dynamics, and the complexities of human relationships.
As Robert and Beppo ride through the countryside and interact with the widow Mazzini and her family, the narrative subtly explores notions of labor, obligation, and the socio-political implications of work, touching on contrasting ideologies like communism and fascism. Despite the seemingly mundane events, the story emphasizes the significance of small gestures and the underlying tensions in Robert's life, particularly his feelings of being taken advantage of by those around him.
Ultimately, "Work" reflects on the nature of relationships and the responsibilities that come with them, offering a contemplative look at how our social environments shape our experiences and choices. Through minimal action and restrained dialogue, Plante crafts an intimate portrayal of life, love, and the quiet struggles that define human connections.
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Work by David Plante
First published: 1981
Type of plot: Impressionistic
Time of work: About 1980
Locale: The Italian countryside
Principal Characters:
Robert , an American meeting his lover in ItalyGiuseppe (Beppo) , a neighboring farm boyAlessandro (Alex) , Robert's Italian lover, who lives with him in the United StatesThe widow Mazzini , Beppo's mother, the hardworking head of an Italian farm familyLa Nonna , Beppo's grandmother, who has an infected leg
The Story
Nothing much happens in this story, which won the New York Society of Arts and Sciences O. Henry Memorial Award in 1983. However, the surface details and what little does happen in "Work" suggest great significance. An American named Robert is at the house of his Italian lover, Alessandro, cleaning and preparing it for Alessandro's arrival. Giuseppe (nicknamed Beppo), the young son of the widow Mazzini, spends a lot of time with Robert waiting for Alessandro, or Alex, to arrive. With childlike fascination for violence and the peasant's fatalism, Beppo imagines all the worst things that could have delayed Alex. Beppo rides his horse to Robert's house to take him to the posto publico to receive a telephone call from Alex. Riding bareback behind Beppo, Robert clings to the boy's body. At the posto public, he learns that everyone already knows the message from his lover. The plane has been delayed and Alex will take a taxi from the railway station. Robert and Beppo get back on the horse and stop at the widow Mazzini's house before going to Alex's house to wait for the taxi. When Alex arrives, Robert serves coffee and brandy to Alex and the taxi driver and biscuits to Beppo. Early the next morning, Beppo wakes Robert to ask that he come to the widow's house. Alex cautions Robert not to agree to do anything that he does not want to do; he hints that Robert allows others to take advantage of him.
At the widow's house, Robert, though he protests that he never eats so early in the morning, has breakfast. He talks briefly to La Nonna, the widow's mother, who is suffering from an infected leg and cannot work. He agrees that he and Alex will help the widow and her family pull the tobacco in order to get it to the cooperative warehouse in time to be processed. Alex agrees to help, but makes clear that he thinks Robert has let the widow take advantage of him. In the fields, talk turns to the value of work and the relative advantages of communism and fascism. After the work is completed, the widow says that Robert and Alex must have supper with her family, and though Robert initially declines, Alex tells him that they must go, for the widow "has to feed us for the work we have done."
After supper, which the widow eats while she serves the others, she takes them to the stable to show them her cows. Even at the end of a day's work, she takes advantage of the opportunity to sweep the stable floor. Walking home, Robert says that when he returns to Boston he must begin to work hard to repay his father for all the work he has done. Alex says that they are approaching the ditch with the plank over it, and Robert, a little drunk from the widow's wine, takes his arm. The story ends as the lovers go down the path "to the front of the house, which shone among the elder bushes." Here the story ends.
Nothing much has happened. Everything is very quiet and restrained, but David Plante's few pages of prose establish credible people and some of their relationships. The story makes a significant comment on relative social situations and the possibilities open to some people, closed to others.