Intimacy In The Children Are Watching Us
The film The Children are Watching us by Vittorio De Sica depicts the unhappy marriage of Nina and Andrea through their son Prico’s eyes during the height of Italian Fascism. Through Prico’s inquisitive view point, the audience is shown the inner working of their marriage, seeing both the positive and negative aspects of their relationship. Ultimately, Nina and Andrea’s relationship fails because they fill roles for each other instead of providing real intimacy. In The Art of Loving, Fromm depicts intimacy as an integral component of a loving relationship.
He repeats H.S. Sullivan’s definition of intimacy: “Intimacy is that type of situation involving two people which permits validation of all components of personal worth. Validation …show more content…
In fascist Italy, men were expected to marry, provide for their families, and maintain a steady job, so they could make Italy strong again. Andrea’s marriages allows him to achieve these goals, which legitimizes his choice. When he works, he is not just earning money, instead he is providing for his family. He is allowing Nina, and Prico to live a middle class life style to consume nice clothes, go on expensive vacations, take frequent trips to the movies, and giving Prico with toys. Through the material goods that he gives his family, Andrea signals to the public that he is a good provider, so he is helping restore Italy to its former glory. Nina also provides a lot of excitement in Andrea’s life. When Andrea’s mother talks about Nina, and Andrea, she suggest that they are different and implies that she did not like the way that Nina behaved. When talking about Prico accidentally hurting Paolina, Andrea’s mother says “At your age you were not like him, believe me. Some kids take after their fathers, and some after their mothers”( The Children are Watching Us De Sica). With this line, Andrea’s mother makes it clear that she did not like Nina, and she hints that Nina was too unpredictable, and impulsive. While his mother does not like this, Andrea found this to be a positive trait. Her energy contrasts with his sternness, and his pragmatism, and it makes his life more interesting and
He repeats H.S. Sullivan’s definition of intimacy: “Intimacy is that type of situation involving two people which permits validation of all components of personal worth. Validation …show more content…
In fascist Italy, men were expected to marry, provide for their families, and maintain a steady job, so they could make Italy strong again. Andrea’s marriages allows him to achieve these goals, which legitimizes his choice. When he works, he is not just earning money, instead he is providing for his family. He is allowing Nina, and Prico to live a middle class life style to consume nice clothes, go on expensive vacations, take frequent trips to the movies, and giving Prico with toys. Through the material goods that he gives his family, Andrea signals to the public that he is a good provider, so he is helping restore Italy to its former glory. Nina also provides a lot of excitement in Andrea’s life. When Andrea’s mother talks about Nina, and Andrea, she suggest that they are different and implies that she did not like the way that Nina behaved. When talking about Prico accidentally hurting Paolina, Andrea’s mother says “At your age you were not like him, believe me. Some kids take after their fathers, and some after their mothers”( The Children are Watching Us De Sica). With this line, Andrea’s mother makes it clear that she did not like Nina, and she hints that Nina was too unpredictable, and impulsive. While his mother does not like this, Andrea found this to be a positive trait. Her energy contrasts with his sternness, and his pragmatism, and it makes his life more interesting and