Thoughts on Rino in Elena Ferrante's "My Brilliant Friend"

The only person I ever saw Lila love with innocence was her older brother. Minus the obvious romantic angle, Nino is to Lenu, what Rino is to Lila - a promise, a heartbreak. The two names are both reminiscent of the word rione, and the name Rino is short for Gennarino, which itself is a diminutive of Gennaro, and there is no other name that is more closely associated with the city of Naples than Gennaro.

Gennaro is a common name in the Campania area, esp Naples. San Gennaro is the patron saint of Naples, its protector. It's also why there's the popular San Gennaro Fest in NYC's Little Italy, because of all the Italian immigrants from Naples who settled down in the Mulberry Street area, they brought that tradition over. In MBF, Gennaro is like the Neapolitan "everyman" struggling to make a life of distinction apart from the forces of the "black bag." The "Smarginatura" episode of Season 1 paints a bleak picture for the possibility of making such a distinction. The ending of that episode was intense, it's Rino's breakdown, and

Lila watching her brother trying to prove his worth in the face of the Solara's bullets was heavy. Either she's seeing the futility of trying to forge a future apart from that sinister force, or perhaps it's a weakness in her brother in particular that he can't resist wanting to compete with that siren call. Rino is one of the major reasons she won't leave the rione, she's very loyal to him. Another interesting thing in that scene was how when Lenu narrates it, she ties it back to all the wars between men, back to the Trojan war that she's studying in school at that time, wars from the beginning of civilization, and I guess we the audience see how women and children, though not directly involved in the exchange of ammunition, certainly are caught in the crossfire. It's ironic that Lenu draws this connection as well, since the Trojan War was ignited by the fight over Elena (Helen) of Troy. The timing of this NYE party is when the boys are all competing for Lila's hand, esp Stefano and Marcello.