“Christianity is not an administration.”
The political revolutionary disguises himself as a priest in this novel. This is the centerpiece of the novel’s otherwise persistent utilization of Christian symbolism placed in juxtaposition to political propaganda as the modern means of inspiring the peasantry and underclass. The divergence between the two is put into context by Don Benedetto.
“There always comes a time in life when the young men get bored by the bread and wine at home. They look for food elsewhere. The bread and wine of in inns at the crossroads can calm their hunger and thirst for a while. But man cannot spend all his life at the inns.”
The metaphor of the title is here implicitly alluded to. This is a story of looking for meaning in brotherhood; of finding meaning in a response to a shared condition. The observation here is in response to a particular question: what would happen if young men always clung to their ideals even as they age. To not seek bread and wine beyond the passions of youth arrives in a rhetorical gesture that leave the question officially unanswered. Such a circumstance would lead to the end of the world.
“Fate is the invention of resigned and lazy people.”
Spina is a revolutionary firebrand and like all such his foremost talent for propaganda. The difference is he does believe in this propaganda; what’s more, he practices it. The point of his philosophical declaration goes beyond propaganda, however. It is a statement of commitment: the fight is never worth giving up.
“The king of diamonds is always the king of diamonds. It could be dirty or marked or it could have a hole in it. But it’s still what it is.”
A game of cards among a group of friends is always marred by the fact that the king of diamonds has become so worn that it is instantly recognizable the moment it is dealt. An argument ensues about the possibility of each player agreeing that this card will now be recognized as the three of hearts and the three of hearts—which can’t be recognized—will be played as the king of diamonds. The argument here becomes a metaphor leading to the refutation of the argument that a king is always a king, not matter what: “A king is king as long as he rules. A king who doesn’t rule is an ex-king.”
