The Girl in His Shadow

In contrast with England, where restrictive and arbitrary social conventions limit Nora’s opportunities, Italy represents the freedom of choice that she lacks at home. When Perra meets Nora, he compliments her on the tremendous success of Prescott’s surgery. Such respectful treatment is vastly different from the contemptuous attitude of England’s medical establishment, as represented by Vickery, who publicly condemns Nora for conducting a surgery that represents a tremendous medical breakthrough. When Perra speaks warmly of Anna Manzolini, an Italian female anatomist who lived 100 years ago, and tells Nora that Manzolini is revered in Italy and was even admitted to England’s Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, this revelation highlights The Arbitrary Nature of Social Conventions. Faced with the knowledge that one woman was celebrated for her achievements in medicine while Nora is condemned, the protagonist renounces her home country and travels to Italy in search of more equitable treatment. In England, she isn’t permitted to study medicine, let alone share her discoveries. Thus, Italy symbolizes the freedom of choice that Nora is denied at home.