Even as she began to fall in love with Giuseppe, Rita would tell herself, I want him, but I don’t want to need him. Considering her past divorce and her thriving career, was she wise to guard her heart against the count?
I think she was cautious for many good reasons. Usually women were not allowed to work after marriage and expected to have children. That’s not what she wanted for herself. She afraid of not being loved back or that the love would not last, on her side not just his. Would she be able to love him as they grew old? Would she give up things for him? Would he grow tired of her? Until the sinking of the ship she didn’t trust in the love she had for the count.
Yes, I think she was wise. I did read more about Rita and it appears her marriage did not last . I do wonder what caused the divorce. After living through such a traumatic time and then marrying so quickly, I do wonder if her judgement was clouded.
Rita was a fiercely independent and strong woman. Her previous failed marriage made her cautious. Her career and Guiseppe’s involved long distance separations. Thus, she had doubts about herself and did not fully trust him. The Lusitania tragedy gave her a clearer picture of the fragility of her life and Guiseppe in it.
I do think she was wise to be cautious. Rita’s first impulsive marriage was a disaster and she was determined not to make the same kind of mistake again.
Rita was a strong, independent, self-supporting woman living in a world that constrained women and expected them to conform to a specific set of expectations. Women were supposed to marry, bear children, and be dependent upon & (often) submissive to a man. Rita was a free spirit and I related to her attraction to Giuseppe, but revulsion at the prospect of needing him. In my opinion, she equated neediness with weakness and wanted to maintain her power, position, and autonomy in the world. She didn’t ever want to find herself married to someone she was no longer attracted to, and the scene in which she watched her first husband sleeping and thought, “No, no, no . . .” was extremely effective and relatable. It was a brilliant way of communicating Rita’s mindset to readers and I had to read that paragraph a couple of times to marvel at it.
I think she thought she had to stay independent if she was to follow her career path. As soon as she gave in to him she quit acting.
She definitely was wise to be careful considering how important her career was to her and that at that time women were expected to get married, have children and to put their needs and wants after others, particularly in a marriage.