In the novel, superstition was the leading factor that had driven Cristina Vittorio to her imminent downfall, her decline in mental state and her tragic death from her pregnancy. Unlike the rest of the Vittorio family, she suffered the greatest impact from superstitions throughout the story. As established, the people of Valle del Sole hold deep beliefs in superstitions of snakes, associating it with their worst fear, the evil eye. The event of Cristina’s snakebite, the exciting force, causes a ripple effect that led to her poor reputation. With the snake bite symbolizing the sin behind her affair, the people of this town believe that the evil eye is in her possession. They believe those afflicted with the evil eye are contagious which causes …show more content…
The journalist, Barbara Harrison, explains “Everyone in the village knows that snakes are agents of the evil eye and that the evil eye can search out anyone, righteous or depraved [...] So while Vittorio's mother, Cristina, survives the snakebite, it comes as no surprise to anyone, except her adoring and bewildered son, that her reputation does not” (Harrison). Once again, they explain how the superstitions of the evil eye lead to her fall in status. Due to this, she isolates herself from this town to avoid being seen in public. Moreover, superstitions play a pivotal role in Cristina’s character development. In the story's beginning, she bursts into laughter after Giuseppina presents her with a ritual. Along with asking her to go to a priest, Giuseppina did this to help with her public image in Valle del Sole. In contrast, much later in the story, Cristina tries out this ritual as revealed in the quotation: “But now the mystery of the blood on my mother’s hand explained itself, for on a wooden block in front of the chicken run lay the limp headless body of the chicken” (114). This new behaviour is attributed to her suffering. She becomes more desperate to not be looked down upon by her community and also as a way to cleanse herself of the sins she