Biblical motif
On the very first pages the narrator uses an allusion to one of the biblical legends. When the narrator found that the tap in his kitchen had been mysteriously closed, he tried to figure out what might have happened. One of the ideas was that it had been God’s interference, but he soon put this idea aside as he understood that “his shower was not the Red Sea”. The allusion to the legend of Crossing the Red Sea, in which God parted the sea so the Egyptians led by Moses could pass, is obvious.
The newspaper (symbol)
The events in the novel unfold within few months, from April to June of 1992. These years were rather difficult in Italy, as well as in the world community: the Soviet Union collapsed, the cold war is over, but the anti-corruption processes are shaking the entire political landscape and bring to light many secrets of recent Italian history. Sensations and loud headlines flicker everywhere. Against this background a large businessman Vimerkate (the owner of hotels, rest houses, factories, steamboats), who remained in the shadow many years, is plotting an intricate intrigue. He is looking for a way to get and establish himself in the highest circles of financial and political representatives of the society.
To do this, Vimercate decides to act in a non-trivial way: he invites Professor Simei to lead the editorial board of the newly created newspaper “Tomorrow” (“Domani”). He sets him the task of preparing several trial issues – “numero zero”, which would contain not news and relevant analytics, but only plausible insinuations, conjectures, gossip, misrepresented facts and ambiguous comments, which will allow Vimerkate to frighten, blackmail and “twist the hands” of both his enemies and those who simply don’t rush to become his friends and partners. The essence of the whole project is that the printed newspaper will never appear in public: but the very threat of disclosing information is enough for him to accomplish his goal.
Thus, the newspaper “Tomorrow” becomes a symbol of the idea that “end justifies the means”. This newspapers is a symbol of guile and lack of any moral values.
Scandal (symbol)
Simei collects the original personalities with a dark past for the purpose of creating the newspaper. He attracts his former university student, Colonna, a fifty-year-old intellectual loser, who makes a living by translations of all sorts of nonsense, writing and editing articles for third-rate provincial newspapers.
Simei intends to use Colonna to write a book, which is supposed to become a bestseller one day, based on the already completed project: the scandal is the best way to gain glory and money, especially if the writer manages to play the role of "a freedom fighter". Umberto Eco demonstrates the role of scandal – it symbolizes glory and popularity. Modern society indulges in pleasure around the news of scandals.
