Provocation
The entire plot of the play is sparked by provocative behavior on the part of neighbors which stimulates suspicion exploding into paranoia among the older neighbors. It is not mere coincidence that the imagery which is first forwarded to explain the living conditions of the suspicious neighbor does not perhaps sound particularly sinister:
“There’s a courtyard —so dark! it’s like a well!—with an iron railing all the way up, running along the gallery on the top floor, and with ever so many baskets hanging down from it on strings.”
The Madness
Accusations of madness soon are being tossed around that target various sides of the conflict. The character of Laudisi represents common sense and the voice of reason, but even the imagery use engages for explanation can sound like a de-evolution into the irrational:
“And it’s not because those solid facts you’re looking for have been obliterated—dispersed or destroyed—by any kind of disaster—a fire, an earthquake —no—but because they have obliterated them within themselves, in their own minds—will you try to understand?—she creating for him, or he for her, a fantasy that has the same consistency as reality, and in which they now live in perfect harmony, pacified. And this reality of theirs can’t be destroyed by any document because they live and breathe inside it, they see it, they hear it, they touch it!”
Curtain Closers
Imagery is established by a repetitive device which closes each act. The curtain drops on all three acts of the play with the focus on the same image: Laudisi, the voice of reason, ironically posing a question about the nature of truth before laughing sardonically:
Act One:
LAUDISI (coming into their midst): You’re all looking at one another? Well! The truth? (He breaks out into loud laughter:) Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Act Two:
LAUDISI (placing himself in their midst): There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the truth has been discovered. (He bursts out laughing:) Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Act Three:
LAUDISI: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the voice of truth! (He looks all around with an expression of challenging mockery.) Satisfied? (He bursts out laughing:) Ha! ha! ha! ha!
The Veil
The climax of the play revolves around the appearance of Mrs. Ponza, her face obscured behind a black veil. Her explanation of being both the daughter of Mrs. Frola and the second wife of Mr. Ponza is a response to the mysteries that arouse the suspicions that drive the narrative. She then adds as for herself, she is no one. The ambiguity surrounding the mysteries, the confusion inherent in her description and the fact her face shrouded behind the veil all work together as imagery to cement the central thematic concerns of the play that we all are each in our way really only what others perceive us to be rather than identity being shaped from within and projected outward.
