Abstract

The hero’s condition in The Path to the Spiders’ Nests is defined by two pairs of recurring words, related to the ideas of exclusion and integration, enthusiasm and disgust. Pin oscillates between these opposite terms, but this inconsistency, due to his extreme youth, is matched by remarkable qualities, especially in guessing other people’s feelings and characters. His constant thinking over people and events, as well as the monologues of two minor characters (Giacinto and Pietromagro), help reduce the gap between the plot and the ideological reflections, mainly entrusted to the Brigade Commissar Kim