Human Cruelty
Nights of Cabiria deals with very serious themes, one of them being that of human cruelty. The story centers on the life of Maria, "Cabiria" as she is known on the streets. She is a prostitute. There are few professions that are as cruel as this. We see from the very beginning of the film this theme of human cruelty perpetrated on her by a man named Giorgio. He steals her purse and pushes her into the water. Leaving her to drown. Maria believes that she was in love with this man, she even has a shrine to him. Another cruelty created by this false love is Maria's idolization of Giorgio. She's given all of herself to him and yet knows nothing about him, even defending him when her friend Wanda tries to figure out what happened. Fellini continues to represent this theme in Alberto Lazzari who is a famous actor. He picks up Maria and takes her home with him, but when his girlriend arrives he locks Maria in the bathroom for an entire night while he makes love to the other woman. He simply pays her and asks her to leave. No apology. He treats her like she has no feelings. He simply makes her go away. Fellini saves the worst for last. Oscar steals Maria's heart and proposes to her. Her dreams have come true and she will be set free of this cruel life. But, he has tricked her in order to steal her money and kill her. Though he cannot bring himself to kill her he's broken her heart and her mind.
Envy
Fellini's film deals with those of a lower class selling their bodies in order to try to have a glimmer of what the rich and famous have. They believe by attaining material objects, such as the Fiat we see the pimp drive, or a home that they will be even more attractive to those who belittle their way of life. We see this clearly when Maria is kept out of a high-class night club. She desires to go in and be with the rich people. When she must stand on the street she's greeted by the famous actor Lazarri. Now the cream of the crop has come to her. She has all she coul imagine, and while she rides in his big white car she screams out to two other prostitutes to look at who she is going home with. She believes because she is with a rich man that she will be elevated to a new level of fame.
Faith Without Works
The Madonna is in Rome and people are flocking to be healed from it. We see processions of nuns passing by Maria on separate occasions, and finally we see the prostitutes and their pimps arrive to see the Madonna. To be granted mercy for their sins. They show up to be cleansed only to walk back into their own filthy ways immediately after. Fellini represents this by having them drink until they are drunk. And we see that Maria is incredibly upset by this. She knows that you cannot have confession and choose the same actions. You must change your actions in order to enable your faith.
Hope for a Better Life
A scene that expresses this theme is when a procession of barefoot nuns walks by the prostitutes in the street. Maria walks out into the street and into the only light that's shining as the other woman stay in the shadows. We see that she desires more for her life, and we see that she is torn between the life she dreams of and the one that is holding her back when a truck pulls up and asks her to hop in. Which she does. Maria holds on to this hope with Oscar as they court and build a relationship. Even to the very end after he has stolen her life's savings and left her and the cliffside, Maria's final look directly into the camera tells us that she believes her life has just begun. That here is so much more ahead that's worthy of fighting for.
