The public-private dichotomy between the mother and father that was so characteristic of life in Italian Harlem reminded me of the concept of dramaturgy that I learned in my sociology class last semester. From a dramaturgical viewpoint, people play roles in their daily lives, almost as if they are always actors. The part of dramaturgy that reminded me of the dichotomy of Italian Harlem was the concept of front stage vs. backstage. Like it sounds, backstage represents the private aspects of our lives. In Italian Harlem, the backstage occurred inside the home, where outsiders could not witness the authority of the mother. The backstage was so private in this case that great precautions were taken to prevent anyone outside the home from seeing it. As the curtain comes up, or as a family ventures onto the streets, backstage is almost forgotten as the family is now performing for the masses. In this front stage (the place that we want people to see), the father has all the authority. This whole “act” that was put on by families in East Harlem is similar to the idea of drama and chaos backstage at a theatre and the neat, polished performance given to the audience.

On a different note, the second section of this reading clarified some confusion I previously had when reading the very first chapter of the book. When I read the detailed description of the festa in Chapter 1, part of me didn’t understand how people could be so reverent to the point where they would lick the aisles of a church. This reading made me understand the reason that this devotion was so important to the residents of East Harlem. The festa symbolized so much for the immigrants: connection between generations that might otherwise have been vastly different, the bridging of New York City and their hometowns in Italy, and a return to one’s roots (in particular, the mother). Without this celebration, many of these immigrants would have nothing to pull them through the difficult other 51 weeks of the year. In a way, their devotion is what held them together and reminded them why they fought so hard to protect the domus.