Introduction of the Story:
Salvatore is a short story written by William Somerset Maugham. The story was published as "Salvatore the Fisherman" in the July 1924 issue of Cosmopolitan. The story is actually a biographical sketch of the protagonist (main character) Salvatore in chronological order. The story begins when he was a boy of fifteen and ends when he is a middle aged man with two children and a wife living peacefully a hard life of a common fisherman.
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| Story Salvatore by W. Somerset Maugham—Introduction, Theme and Summary |
The story deals with love of a couple never going to be united. The protagonist of the story, Salvatore who is a usual fisherman's son, is intensely in love with a beautiful girl who lives on the Grande Marina. They are engaged but their marriage cannot be possible until Salvatore has done his military service. Salvatore leaves the island for military service to become a sailor in the navy of King Victor Emmanuel. He feels nostalgic and misses the islands of Ischia and Vesuvius which he now realised were parts of his life as important as his hands and legs. He feels all alone in the battleship living with strangers and also in the noisy friendless cities where he lands. He feels terribly homesick and remembers his fiancee whom he loves with his passionate heart. In service, Salvatore is sent to many places like Spezia, Venice, Bari and China. He falls ill when in China and as he suffers from rheumatism he is considered unfit for further service. Salvatore does not mind his illness and rather feels happy to return to his own home . He is eager to meet his family and fiancee. On his return, he is emotionally welcomed by his parents and brothers, but he finds his fiancee missing. He looks for his beloved but in vain. When he reached her house, his fiancee's mother bluntly told him that her daughter cannot marry him as he is now the victim of mysterious ailment. This was heartbreak for Salvatore but he did not blame her. After this Salvatore starts a new life with another girl who loves him intensely.
Indeed, Salvatore is a realistic story which leaves an unfadable impression on the minds of the readers. In the story, the writer has skilfully highlighted the character trait of Salvatore's innate goodness. Despite being heartbroken, Salvatore never blamed the girl who left him. He never utters harsh words for her or for anyone. The writer depicts the character of Salvatore as a man who possesses nothing but an invaluable quality, ‘the rarest, the most precious and the loveliest that anyone can have’ - the goodness.
Theme of the Story:
Goodness:
In the story entitled Salvatore, goodness may be regarded as one of the important themes of the story. Goodness is highlighted through the character of Salvatore. Salvatore, since his childhood had been kind, sympathetic, generous, good - natured and caring. As Salvatore was the eldest brother, he used to look after and care of his younger siblings. He took care of them while their father was away. He shouted at them to come near the shore when they went too far in the sea and dressed them accordingly when they had to climb the hot, vinceclad hill for the midday meal.
When Salvatore became victim of a serious and mysterious disease and was admitted in a hospital for a long period, he endured the pain with mute and uncomprehending patience. He was not least dejected when he came to know from the doctors that he would never recover from this fatal disease. He had not complaint of his life. He remained calm and happy. Even when his ailment (rheumatism) caused him pain that racked his limbs, he would lie about the beach, smoking cigarettes, with a pleasant word for everyone. He was never rude for the foreigners who came down to bathe and saw him there, said that these Italian fishermen were lazy devils.
When, after returning from his military service, he went to meet his fiancee's house. She (fiancee) nudged by her mother, told him bluntly that she could not marry a man who would never be strong enough to work like a man. On returning home, Salvatore wept on his mother's bosom. He was terribly unhappy but he did not say a hard word to the girl whom he loved very much. His goodness convinced him to realise that a girl could not marry a man who might not be able to support her.
A few months later, on the advice of his mother, Salvatore married a girl named Assunta who was older than him. He was never harsh to her but happily accepted her as his wife. He still had ingenuous smile and those trusting, kindly eyes that he had as a boy. He had still the most beautiful manners, the narrator had ever seen in his life. He kept Assunta happy. Even after suffering from rheumatism, he worked hard to sustain his family.
No change could be seen in him. When he was young boy, he used to care his youngers but after becoming the father of two children he took part equally in the rearing of children. He used to give them a bath and used to hold them tenderly and delicately.
True Love:
Next theme of the story is true love. Salvatore loved his family very much. He had great love and affection for his two younger brothers. It was his love that he cared and looked after his younger brothers. His worrying about their safety was his love for them. We also come to know about the loving family of which he was a part. When Salvatore finally came back home he saw his father, mother and two brothers standing on the jetty waiting for his arrival. There was a great deal of kissing when he jumped up the steps and they all, emotional creatures, cried a little when they exchanged their greetings.
Salvatore had also a sincere and emotional attachment with the girl whom he loved intensely. When Salvatore was away as a sailor, he greatly missed the girl. It was painful for him to be parted from the girl whom he loved so deeply. He wrote to her long ill - spelt letters in which he told her how constantly he thought of her and how much he longed to be back home to see her. When the doctors announced the news that he was suffering from rheumatism from which he would never recover; it did not shatter him. It made him happy as it would allow him to go back to the girl he loved so much.
It was indeed his true love for the girl that even after being rejected by her, he showed no ill - will for the girl, though he was badly disheartened and shattered. It was his inherent goodness which did not consent him to be harsh and rude towards the girl. He remained calm and shed his tears on the bosom of his mother.
Though he married a girl named Assunta whom he did not know, after marriage he loved her truly and sincerely. He had also a deep attachment with his children. He showed great affection for them. He spent a happy time with them.
Summary of the Story:
Salvatore's Spending His Early years with Joy and Happiness:
The story deals with the chief character named Salvatore. The short story begins with Maugham himself addressing the reader. The author enquires whether he would be able to keep the reader's attention throughout the story. Then the story of Salvatore begins. The author says that he knew Salvatore since he was a boy of fifteen. Salvatore was the eldest son of an Italian fisherman. He was a thin boy. He had a cheerful face. His face always bore a smile. He had care free eyes. Since he used to live on an island, he spent his morning lying about the beach. Being familiar with swimming, he moved in and out of the sea with a comfortable ease and an effortless grace. He climbed the painted sharp edged hills, jumped in the delightful water.
His Being A Caring and Responsible Brother:
As Salvatore was the eldest of three brothers, he was like a mother to his two younger brothers. He was greatly affectionate to them. He nursed them with an ever present smile and never fading kindness. He took care of them in the absence of his father. Whenever he found them going too far in the sea, he shouted at them to come near the shore. He would also dress them when it was time to climb the hot hill for the midday meal.
His Being Madly in Love with A Girl:
Like other boys in those Southern parts, Salvatore also grew up fast and fell in love with a beautiful girl who lived on the Grande Marina. They got engaged but he was allowed to marry after his formal military training for which he had to leave hometown as well as his most prized possession, his fiancee. When he left the island so dear to his soul for the first time in his life to join as a sailor in the navy of King Victor Emmanuel, he wept like a small child.
His Feeling Homesick:
Salvatore, who was least bothered about the worries and hassles of a regular life, enjoyed a life of freedom and carefree attitude. He experienced a rapturous delight and contentment in the little white cottage among the vines, the silent paths and the mountains and the sea, the pearly dawn of Vesuvius and the exquisitely beautiful sunset of Ischia. He observed such a strong bond with his native land where he had spent the most impressionable years of his life. When he ceased to have them before his eyes he realised that they were as much part of him as his hand and his feet. Away from home, he was dreadfully homesick.
He found it extremely difficult to work in a shackled environment at the back and call of others. He struggled to free himself from the authoritarian dominance that was against the bird like freedom he enjoyed in Ischia. He hated to walk in noisy, friendless cities with streets so crowded that he was frightened to cross them. However the most painful experience that tormented him and made his heart bleed was his separation from his soul mate, the girl he loved with the passionate intensity of his heart. He wrote to her long, ill - spelt letters in which he told her how constantly he thought of her and how much he longed to be back.
His Being the Victim of a Fatal and mysterious Disease and His Returning Home:
In the capacity of a sailor, he travelled widely. He went to Spezzia, Venice, Bari and finally to China. But his heart remained entangled in the attractions of Ischia. Then it happened so that he fell ill and remained in the hospital for months. He bore the mysterious ailment with an uncomplaining passive resignation and waited patiently to get well but the moment it dawned on him that he was suffering from rheumatism that incapacitated him and rendered him unfit for military services, his joys knew no bound. He felt a surge of an indescribable delight at the thought of going home and meeting his loved ones. He turned a deaf ear to the doctor's apprehension that he would never be cured of the ailment. While going back home he only cared to the little island he loved so well and the girl who was waiting for him.
His Being Greeted by His Family and His Looking for His Fiancee:
When he reached home, he was lovingly and tearfully received by the doting family. He saw his father, mother and two brothers standing on the jetty waiting for his arrival. His intent look surveyed the crowd to have a glimpse of his heart's desire but he could not see the girl. The girl, whom he loved intensely, was not present at his home coming. When his patience gave way, he asked his mother about the girl. His mother told him that she had not seen her for a couple of weeks.
His Going to His Fiancee's House and His Being Rejected by His Fiancee:
Salvatore who was desperate to meet his beloved, started out on a romantic evening to her house. He found her sitting at the doorstep with her mother. He approached her with a shy smile and the warmth of an inexhaustible emotional intensity of true love. But the girl did not reciprocate. Her looks were cold and distant. They had been informed of his home coming and his incurable ailment. His fiancee told him bluntly that she could not marry a man who would never be strong enough to work like a man. He was profoundly shocked to hear this. He was left wondering and speculating if there were other issues more important than a pure heart's feelings. His return that he considered fortuitous was actually calamitous, he despairingly realised now.
His Feeling Sad, Depressed and Disappointed at the Humiliating Rejection:
When he returned his home, he realised that everyone was aware of his predicament. The callous declaration had been conveyed by the father of the girl. The family did not, however have the heart to reveal the heart breaking news. He felt beaten, wrecked and wretched. In spite of his going through the wringer, he had no ill - will against the girl. He analysed her situation and concluded that she was compelled by the circumstances to behave in an inconsiderate and unkind manner. He gave vent his unbearable pain of shattered love by crying out his heart on his mother's bosom, but refrained from speaking anything against the girl who ditched him for her selfish monetary pursuits.
His Mother's Asking him to Marry with Another Girl Named Assunta:
A few months later, when Salvatore returned to his unvarying work, fishing and toiling on his father's vine yard with an unflagging energy, his mother confided to him that he had a proposal of a girl named Assunta. His mother told him that though she was older than him, she could buy him a boat of his own and take a vineyard on rent. His mother also told him that she had been engaged to a man who, while doing his military service, had been killed in Africa. She further added that Assunta had seen him at the festa and had fallen in love with him. With a sweet smile on his face, he said that he would think about it.
His Accepting His Mother's Proposal, His Getting Married and His Starting A Newly Married Life:
The next Sunday, Salvatore dressed in stiff black clothes went up to the High mass at the Parish Church. Perhaps he wanted to have a close look at her. Having looked at the woman, he gave his consent to marry her. After getting married, they settled down in a tiny white - washed house in the middle of a beautiful vineyard. Salvatore had grown up to be a man. He was tall, broad and masculine. He still wore his ingenuous smile. He was still trusting and kind to the people. Assunta had a serious look on her face and looked old for her age. But she had a beautiful heart brimming with love and genuine appreciation for her husband's gentle sweetness. She was docile and submissive. Her ceaseless devotion and smiling countenance was especially noticeable when her husband behaved more responsibly and confidently in a trying situation. She, however, harboured an unforgiving grudge and deep resentment against the inconsistent girl who had ditched her husband.
His Toiling Hard with Unrelenting Spirit:
Life had its challenges, strife and struggle but he remained dauntless and undeterred in the face of the ups and downs of life. All through the fishing season, he toiled hard catching fish and selling them in the market. At other times, he displayed an unrelenting spirit by working in his vineyard from dawn till the heat drove him to rest and then again, when it was a trifle cooler, till dusk. When rheumatism obstructed his daily routine, he lay on the beach , smoking cigarettes and using his leisure in building up relationship with people . He bore patiently and uncomplainingly, the pain that racked his limbs. The sarcastically inconsiderate attacks of the foreigners indicating his community of laziness were dismissed by his carefree attitude.
His Affectionate Relationship with His Children:
Salvatore was devoted to his family. He was full of love and care for his kids. He enjoyed giving them a bath at the sea. He observed delicacy while handling his kids. The strong hard hands became tender and delicate just like flowers as he held them affectionately. When he sat the small baby on his palm, he would laugh and cheer innocently like an angel and his eyes reflected the purity, honesty and a childlike innocence, enthusiasm and delight.
Finally the author comes back to where he started. He reminds us that he wanted to keep us attentive throughout his narration and he has successfully done so. Maugham depicts the character of Salvatore as a man who possessed nothing but an invaluable quality of ‘go
