Once again, Orsi brings to light the complexities of gender roles within the domus. Although married women with children served as a source of power and authority within the domus, they were also confined by the community’s definition of the “good woman.” As Orsi writes, “Their power, although it is real, is also their powerlessness.” Despite their private role as an all-powerful matriarch, women (both single and married) were subject to a much higher authority: the demands of Italian culture. By threatening the reputation of women, especially those who were unmarried, men were able to use this public ideal to wield control over those who dominated the life of the home and, therefore, the domus. To call this system a “private-public dichotomy” seems like an oversimplification of what is truly going on here. The authority of men may have been merely theatrical, but it is important to note that power within the domus was actually quite diffuse. Power was everywhere, yet it was also nowhere at the same time.  

The Madonna served an important role for women by providing a means of expression for their fears and concerns. For the entire Italian community, however, the Madonna provided much more than a means of expression.  It reflected their home values, helped them overcome distance, and overall maintained their sanity. Contrary to the idea that the devotion was merely an act of self-deception, the festa was actually a reorientation of Italian tradition and values. Perhaps the devotion can be considered self-deception in the sense that it gave Italian immigrants the illusion of still being in their hometowns. More accurately, however, the festa was a way in which people were able to resituate themselves morally and reintegrate themselves culturally. It was a process of rejuvenation.  One may even be so bold as to describe it as a process of purification. It purified people of thoughts and emotions that threatened their fundamental beliefs. This not only refers to conflicting thoughts originating from American culture, but also to feelings of resentment that originated from within the domus itself. As Orsi explains, healing stories were “cathartic,” ultimately evoking feelings of attachment to the domus, despite people’s frustration with it.