One of the most famous fables to come out of Italy is the story of Pinocchio, a boy born from a wooden doll with a nose that grows when he lies.
This famous character from children's literature was born from the imagination of journalist and writer Carlo Lorenzini, who used the pseudonym Carlos Collodi, named after his mother's hometown. He was born in Florença in 1826 and died in the same city in 1890.
The story goes that the father of Pinocchio is the poor craftsman Gepeto, who lives in the Tuscany region, and his mother is the Blue Fairy, a blue-haired girl who, one fine night, decides to bring the doll to life.
Gepeto lived alone surrounded by beautiful pieces of wood, which he patiently made by hand. He lived off the little money he made from selling his works.
Son of wood
The poor craftsman dreamed of having a son and one night he imagined a wooden doll that he would build. The doll would be his wooden son.
He got up early and carefully chose the material to make the doll. When she was finished, she looked proudly at her work and thought, “How nice if this wooden doll was real and could live with me.”
The Blue Fairy, listening to Geppetto's wish, and considering that he deserved the happiness of seeing that doll transformed into the son he so desired, decides to bring the doll to life.
The adventures of Pinocchio
From then on, Pinocchio goes through several adventures, which test his loyalty and honesty. These are values that he has to learn to become a real boy.
In the original book, Pinocchio He was a very disobedient and a little selfish boy, but time changes everything. The film adaptation made by Walt Disney immortalized this character in a cartoon film.
Thus, adapting the character to the present day, Pinocchio today is a boy who does a lot of mischief and lives many adventures, but is sweet and naive.
Father's dedication
Geppetto treated Pinocchio (in Italian) as if he were a son. As soon as she could he sent the boy to school. She wanted Pinocchio, like the other boys, to learn to read and write. On the way from home to school and from school to home, Pinocchio has great adventures.
Collodi describes Gepeto as a father with great dedication to his son. He says that Geppetto, not having enough money, sells his only coat so he can buy one for Pinocchio.
Pinocchio's nose
The figure of Pinocchio is unmistakable, but what we know best is his nose, which grows with lies. Collodi intended to show that many children tell small lies to apologize, a result of his fertile imagination.
On the other hand, the story of the doll that turns into a little boy also shows the difficulty for parents to educate their children, just as puppets can be difficult to “maneuver”.
The antics of grown-ups
Perhaps the characteristic of nose growth and transformation into a wooden doll could apply to all grown-ups who, with responsibilities inherent to the roles they play in society, tell lies that affect the lives of others.
It would be curious to find people with big noses or with their noses growing when they tell lies on the street or on other public occasions.
