Bandini Question #24 ~ Dio Cane

[DeppInTheHeartOfTexas]

pg. 13:

“Dio cane. Dio cane. It means God is a dog, and Svevo Bandini was saying it to the snow. Why did Svevo lose 10 dollars in a poker game tonight at the Imperial Poolhall? He was such a poor man, and he had three children, and the macaroni was not paid, nor was the house in which the three children and the macaroni were kept. God is a dog.”

What is the character thinking or meaning here?

[Betty Sue]

Born to lose. Poor Svevo! There were so many reasons why he should have prospered at the pool hall, but, through no fault of his own, that nasty old dog, God (dog spelled backwards), was against him and did him in. Poor, poor Svevo...

[fansmom]

Once again (actually, I think it's the first time we encounter Svevo, but I'm not sure because I had to return my copy of the book to the library) Svevo blames someone else for his choices. Just setting a pattern for things to come.

[gemini]

Svevo hated snow and loosing so he had to blame it on someone, why not God? He made the snow that kept him unemployed. Somewhere in his upbringing he learned to blame all his faults on anyone but himself. It's the same as saying the world is out to get me and no matter what I do I will fail.

[Liz]

I would agree with all of you. I do think it is significant that dog is God spelled backwards. And I can't seem to get Nodog from A Long Way Down out of my head.

[DeppInTheHeartOfTexas]

HA! I thought of Nodog too.

When I first read this passage I thought I might be missing a deeper meaning so I thought I would see what you all thought. Maybe that's it, Svevo is just looking for an excuse and someone to blame for his troubles.

[Linda Lee]

This is our introduction to Svevo and our first insight into his character. He's a good man, could be a great man, if only God would favor him, instead God is a dog! He sends the snow that keeps Svevo from having work to do, then he sends the BAD Luck that causes him to lose the ten dollars at the Imperial Poolhall. It couldn't be Svevo's fault that he wagered money he needed to pay bills ~ could it?

[Liz]

You are right, Linda Lee. This is our introduction to Svevo. And maybe that is supposed to introduce us to the polarity between his wife, whose whole life is about praising the Lord, and Svevo, who is ungrateful for his good graces.

[DeppInTheHeartOfTexas]

I can see we are all of a bit of a sarcastic mind here when it comes to Svevo? Where's that rolling pin girl when you need her?

Liz, that is a very interesting point about the religious differences between Svevo and Maria!

[Bermuda]

The said, "Hey Svevo, What did you say? I've had it with you! Forget the rolling pin; take this!!!":

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/MABermuda/thunderbolt.jpg

[nebraska]

I think Svevo was feeling really guilty in this passage, so painfully guilty he needed to place the blame elsewhere. After all, if God was all powerful, certainly He could have fixed things so Svevo won and had money to care for his family.........but no, He didn't! God let him down.......and now Svevo has to face Maria.......who would never blame God for misfortune.

The guilt had to be overwhelming.

[nebraska]

The said, "Hey Svevo, What did you say? I've had it with you! Forget the rolling pin; take this!!!":

GREAT image!!!!!!!!

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/MABermuda/thunderbolt.jpg

[fansmom]

Bermuda, that's what it looked like outside my windows a little while ago!

When I read the passage initially, I thought of the God/dog thing, but doesn't Svevo think in Italian? Dio cane, not God dog.

[Betty Sue]

When I read the passage initially, I thought of the God/dog thing, but doesn't Svevo think in Italian? Dio cane, not God dog.

That's what I was thinking, too, then thought the God/dog expression must have originated in the English language but has been translated into others, even without the reverse letters working....maybe. So he could easily be thinking both ways.

[dharma_bum]

I agree with gemini. When Svevo could blame no other human for his bad behavior, he might as well blame God. I also think that "Dio cane" might be a common idiomatic expression in Italian, like "goddamnit" in English. In Spanish, the expression "amores perros" translates literallly to "love dogs," but really means "love's a bitch." (Pardon my French.)