Humans have evolved over a prolonged period of time. With that evolution, the human mind has progressed to a point in which it has created different beliefs and ideas on how the functions of everyday life are and came to be. Human beliefs vary across the globe, where those with similar ideologies come together in a local culture or community. For example, areas as large as countries or as small as towns, can be identified solely based in the popular belief. Carlo Levi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli, takes place in small and isolated towns in Southern Italy, where these individuals share similar ideas. In these bleak, poor, and forsaken towns the beliefs of their inhabitants have been shaped and molded to suit the horrid lifestyle which has taken over the towns. Levi explains and covers a variety of those beliefs, which the natives express and participate in.
One of the most evident ideologies of those who are native to Grassano, the fist location which Carlo was exiled to,
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Only a select amount of things has a definite meaning, being reason and history. Everything which comes natural in this world has double purpose of life. “People, trees, animals, even objects and words have a double life,” (Levi, 230). Levi explains this belief of everything natural having double meaning with a dog that was given to him by his peasant friends. Arriving to Gagliano, the peasants believed the dog to be a real baron. Once the dog was closely observed by the peasants of the town, they believe the dog to be half baron half lion. After the dog passed away, the peasants came to believe that Levi also had two sides, which were the same as his dog, half baron and half lion. Levi explains, “To the peasants everything has a double meaning. The cow-woman, the werewolf, the lion-baron, and the goat-devil are only notorious and striking examples” (Levi,