Family and Duty

Where it surfaces

• A Tale of the Passions

  Cincolo stays home out of duty to his wife despite his Ghibelline fervor; Monna Gegia mourns her son killed in the Ghibelline cause, showing the cost of political allegiance on families.

• Ferdinando Eboli

  The conflict arises from family betrayal: the natural son's hatred for his father and brother drives his imposture, while Ferdinando's duty to his family and betrothed is tested.

• Transformation

  Guido's relationship with his father and Torella highlights the tension between filial duty and rebellious independence.

• The Dream

  Constance feels bound by duty to her dead family, viewing her love for Gaspar as a betrayal.

• The Brother and Sister

  Flora's unwavering loyalty to her brother Lorenzo and her promise to him overrides her personal feelings for Fabian.

• The Invisible Girl

  Sir Peter's conflict between his duty as a guardian and his violent opposition to Rosina's marriage, and Henry's struggle between filial duty and his love for Rosina.

• The Elder Son

  The narrator's sense of duty to her father's memory and her binding promises to Vernon conflict with her personal feelings, highlighting familial obligations.

• The Parvenue

  The narrator is torn between her duty to her husband and her obligations to her impoverished family, leading to devastating consequences.

• The Pilgrims

  Burkhardt's deep love for his daughter Ida and his sense of duty as a father are central, as is Ida's eventual repentance and her children's mission to heal the rift.

• Euphrasia

  Constantine's duty to his country and his sister, and Euphrasia's role as a sister and patriot, highlight the tension between family bonds and revolutionary obligations.

• The Heir of Mondolfo

  Ludovico's vow to his mother binds him to endure his father's tyranny, highlighting the conflict between familial duty and personal freedom.

• II

  The narrator's sense of duty to her father and her conflicted feelings about leaving her aunt reflect the tension between family bonds and personal longing.

• VII

  The father's command that Mathilda be happy and his own sense of duty to endure life reflect the tension between familial bonds and moral obligations.