The paradox of wealth
The main paradox in the novel is the nature of wealth. The author closely borrows from the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes which states that all is vanity. Maurizio and his wife Patrizia are perfect examples of people who chase vanity. Paradoxically, after acquiring the full ownership of the giant fashion company (Gucci Fashion Store), they both lose in mysterious ways. For instance, Patrizia is imprisoned after killing her husband. Maurizio is murdered, and the foreign partners take full ownership of the company.
The satire of Maurizio
Maurizio is a paradoxical character because he betrays his wife by kicking her out of marriage after he acquires full control of the company. Without Patrizia’s exploitation and fraud, it could not have been possible for Maurizio to get 20% of the Gucci Fashion Company’s share. However, Patrizia used her manipulation tactics and enabled her husband to acquire full ownership of the company. Ironically, after realizing that he was in total control, Maurizio kicked Patrizia out of the marriage.
The irony of Patrizia
Patrizia is a woman who wants to own everything on earth and deny Maurizio’s relatives an opportunity to benefit from Rodolfo’s inheritance. After the death of Rodolfo, Patrizia manipulates his will to ensure her husband gets 50% of the Gucci Fashion Company, and she succeeds. Later, Patrizia comes up with a scheme of helping her husband to take 100% of the company from his relatives. Through manipulation, Maurizio manages to take full control of the company. The satire in this context is that Patrizia is determined to deny Maurizio’s relatives their fair share of the company.
The irony of Patrizia’s pregnancy
Rodolfo is not fond of Patrizia, and he discourages his son, Maurizio, from marrying her. When Maurizio chooses Patrizia over his father’s advice, he gets disowned from the family. According to the readers’ comprehension, Patrizia’s pregnancy is supposed to create a bigger rift in the relationship between Maurizio and his father. Ironically, Rodolfo forgives Maurizio because of Patrizia’s pregnancy.
