The Late Mattia Pascal Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

The Late Mattia Pascal Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

The hated job

When Pascal hates his job and leaves it to Monte Carlo, that is a symbolic portrait of his thirst for meaning, but he can't find any relief. It isn't the job that bothers him necessarily, but something about work. He doesn't enjoy the selfless aspect of being an employee. For the bulk of his day, he finds himself as a slave to other interests, and he feels that his life is inherently more sacred and meaningful than his daily life suggests. He thinks he is better than work, because he understands the ineffability of his own life, but without understanding the purpose of his story.

The fiancee trade

When the fiancee leaves Pascal for a new man, one might feel sorry for him, but only for a split second, because he immediately marries anyway, selecting a random girl and marrying her. This shows that the women are interchangeable to him, so how does he really treat his romantic partners? Clearly, he is using them for personal gain. In this case, he hates his life, and it is easy for him to pretend that his singleness is the reason that his life is unrewarding.

The symbolic fleeing

Pascal goes on an archetypal journey, but whether it is a hero's journey should be up for discussion. Arguably, he is a hero, because he goes into an unknown place to recreate himself, to solve deep problems relating to his human nature, and to find meaning. But then again, he clearly has no intention of helping a community, and he doesn't sacrifice. So, the journey is symbolic, pointing not toward heroism but toward escapism—but perhaps it could be both.

The newspaper report

When Pascal stumbles on a newspaper and flips through it, he finds a timely article, one pointing to his own death. His death comes as a shock to himself, given that he is clearly not dead. The report symbolizes his death to his community. His wife and mother don't really care to follow up, and the reader gets the impression that his community might not care. He is symbolically dead to them, another frustrating detail in his quest.

The new identity

Pascal tries to move again and this time, he changes his name and makes a fake backstory for himself, hoping to trick a new community into accepting him, but instead, he lives a lie. The lack of honesty means that whatever he gains through the false identity will not profit him. So, one might say the new identity is a symbol for using one's personality as a tool to deceive others into approval, instead of awarding one's own self with one's own approval, and then sharing it with others.

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