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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Beneath a Scarlet Sky, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
War and Morality
Coming of Age
The Power of Music
Love and Death
Summary
Analysis
Pino screams as the machine guns open fire. When Leyers sees his reaction, he pulls him away from the crowd and takes him back to the car. Leyers asks Pino if he knew one of the men who was shot. Pino lies and says he didn’t, and he was just shocked by the barbarity of the act. Leyers agrees that the act was barbarous and thinks it will only make matters worse. Leyers then asks Pino to drive him back to Gestapo headquarters and gives him three hours off.
Although Leyers agrees with Pino, he does not act as though the massacre weighs on his conscience. Perhaps he hides his feelings better, or perhaps he's become desensitized to such violence. Alternatively, he may only care about what the executions mean for the Nazis and does not care about the men who were executed.
Themes
Pino immediately goes to his aunt and uncle and tells them about Tullio’s death. They, too, are shocked by the cruelty displayed by the Nazis, and say it will only make things worse. Then, Pino returns to Gestapo headquarters where Leyers eventually comes out to meet him. Leyers asks Pino to take him home and Pino does so. He invites Pino inside and tells him that he's going out on a date with Dolly. In the meantime, Pino is left alone with Anna who fixes him up some delectable food, including veal. Pino tells Anna about what he witnessed and mentions that he knew one of the men. Anna takes pity on him and the two them strike up a conversation.
Seemingly, everyone agrees that the Nazis made a grave mistake by carrying out the executions. Despite the horrors of his day, Pino finally gets to spend some time alone with Anna at night and they are able to talk to one another without the fear of being overheard. Again, Anna acts in a caring and compassionate manner toward Pino who’s just had one of the worst days of his life.
Themes
After dinner, Pino asks to be excused to the bathroom. However, instead, he makes his way to Dolly’s room in search of the key to Leyers’s briefcase. Eventually, he finds it in Dolly’s jewelry box. However, Anna catches him in the act. In response, Pino tells Anna the whole truth about his situation, and Anna agrees to help him and keep his true identity a secret. Afterwards, Pino takes the key and creates a mold of it so he can open Leyers’s briefcase whenever he wants. Then, Pino and Anna share their first kiss. Next, Pino returns the key to its rightful place and returns to the kitchen to continue kissing Anna. After a while, Pino tries to get Anna to talk about her past, but she refuses. She wants their relationship to be a fantastical escape from the past and from the war. Pino happily agrees to her conditions.
Pino’s decision to tell Anna the truth is important for the development of their relationship, but it also puts her in danger. After all, if anyone finds out she’s helping Pino, she could be killed. Additionally, Anna’s refusal to talk about her past lends her character an air of mystery. Also, this is an important moment for Pino’s coming of age story because it is the first time he enters into a romantic relationship with someone, although the fantasy element of their relationship—of trying to hide from reality—casts doubt on how much this relationship can really grow.
Themes
