Freedom, Class Division and Magic Realism in Marcovaldo Anonymous 8th Grade

In Calvino’s masterful collection of short stories, Marcovaldo, he explores the creation of urban restrictions and the freedom which is created by nature. In “the city lost in snow”, Calvino explores the restrictions which are posed by cities and the freedom which snowfall brings to the city. Modern cities have numerous restrictions, they are built into grids and organised into streets which restrict individuals from roaming freely, from location to location.

A layer of snow like a “white sheet of paper” had covered all the houses, “almost -erased lines, which corresponded to those of the familiar view: the windows and the roofs and the lamp-posts all around”, such a natural event evoked and unlocked the imagination of Marcovaldo which allowed him to explore the remains of the city, after the snowfall. The snowfall has destroyed any restrictions which are posed by the city as all roads, trams, buildings and houses have been covered by the snow. Utilizing metaphors and imagery, Calvino describes how Marcovaldo’s imagination is evoked and unlocked: “white sheet of paper”. Such imagery and use of metaphor allow the reader to imagine a city which has the absence of any restriction and boundaries posed by modern cities, such as the...