Family photographs
In the novel The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante, family photographs represent the truth. One day, Giovanna overhears her father, saying she is ugly and looks like her aunt, Vittoria. Desperate to know the truth about her physical appearance, Giovanna looks at her family photo album to look for images of Aunt Vittoria. In the album, Giovanna discovers that her father has circled all photos of Aunt Vittoria with black ink. Giovanna realizes that her father does not love his sister, Vittoria. Consequently, Giovanna discovers that her father hates her because he likens her to Vittoria.
Andrea
Andrea symbolizes deception. Giovanna has always loved her father unconditionally. However, her father has not been honest because he has been faking his love. After Giovanna discovers that her father sees her as an ugly creature, she starts to hate him. Giovanna does not think that her father is a trustworthy individual. In addition, Giovanna discovers that her father is cheating on her mother with another woman.
Aunt Victoria’s Bracelet (motif)
The bracelet is an important object in the novel that represents the recurring ideas of loyalty and betrayal. When Giovanna first sees the bracelet in part II of Chapter 2, she thinks it is only important to Aunt Vittoria. However, Giovanna discovers that her aunt has never won the bracelet, and she senses something sinister about the bracelet. Giovanna starts to investigate the origin of the bracelet and discovers that it has belonged to several people, including her grandmother, Vittoria, Costanza, and, lately, Giuliana. The bracelet was given to Giovanna as a present by her grandmother when she was born. Unfortunately, her father decided to give it to another woman he was having an affair with secretly. The reader notes that the bracelet rewards the wrong people for selfish gains.
