Introduction
In the case of Manno however, the people are only surprised it has been sent to him. Had it been sent to another person, the townspeople would probably not have been so surprised. The society’s total submission or subscription to the Mafia ways is further exemplified when Manno is killed together with his hunting partner. Although the people are stunned about the murder, a fictional story is created by the people in regards to the reason for his killing (Sciascia and Foulke, 2000, p. 64). It is argued that he was secretly an adulterer and that his hunting partner Dr. Roscio was simply caught at the wrong place at the wrong time (Sciascia and Foulke, 2000, p. 64). This shows how the townspeople are controlled by the Mafia forces. They believe that one must have done something so huge to warrant his murder. The people do not even try to seek justice or even investigate the double homicide save for one Professor Laurana.
It is only Professor Laurana who goes out of his way to try to investigate the murder. He manages to pick up a clue in the letter that prompts him to start an investigation. He finds the words "Unicuique suum" motored on the letter. This leads him to believe that the letter that had been used to bring the threat was taken from a Vatican publication (Sciascia and Foulke, 2000, p. 73). The author states that “out of vanity”, he sets out to investigate. He follows this important clue with others and his excitement grows. Perhaps the more surprising thing is how Laurana is different from the rest of the townspeople. As the author writes, “Laurana has a kind of obscure pride which made him decisively reject the idea that just punishment should be administered to the guilty one through any intervention of his” (Sciascia and Foulke, 2000, p. 74). Naturally, the people are apprehensive of Laurana’s actions. They are extremely fearful to answer his questions and even when they do, they answer them in a reserved manner. The people understand the consequences that could arise if the Mafia deems them to be an enemy. They may be killed just like Manno was killed. They therefore try to keep away from him so as to not anger the Mafia. Professor Laurana however keeps his resolve and continues investigating the crime using the small clues that he finds on the way and that he slowly piles up. However, as he continues, it appears that Lauran is more captivated by the whole investigative adventure rather than finding a solution. This is because in spite of the solution being right in front of him and indeed being in front of the reader, he assumes it and continues with his relatively clumsy sleuthing. It appears that Laurana is not simply investigating the murder, but he is actually investigating the entire Mafia belief system that has dominated the entire Sicilian community.
In the course of his investigation, he slowly discovers that not everyone in the Sicilian society is what they seem to be. The right and left politics are no longer hold any meaning. Instead, all the political positions have actually frozen into what can be said to be a “rotten stew” of corruption. This is what actually increases his enthusiasm to solve the crime. He finds himself sucked into it and is unable to resist the thrill of it. This is exemplified by a passage from the novel where it is stated that “But however he revolved the affair, turning it this way or that, it possessed some equivocal, ambiguous element, even though the relationships of cause and effect were still unclear, as were those of the protagonists among themselves and those details in the mechanism of the crime that he knew to be facts. And in that equivocation, that ambiguity, he felt himself morally and sensually involved.”(Sciascia and Foulke, 2000, p. 91).
At the end of the novel, one of the Mafia bigwigs, Don Luigi refers to Laurana as an “ass” or an “idiot” (Sciascia and Foulke, 2000, p. 151). The reason for this could be because of his foolish enthusiasm to pursue what he ‘deems” to be justice in a society dominated by the Mafia rules. Don Luigi is of the opinion that Laurana should have acted or behaved like the rest of the townspeople and not have involved himself in the murder process. Laurana was therefore an ‘ass” or “idiot” because he committed himself to a process that he knew would have dire consequences and this is his own death.
In the novel “To Each His Own”, the church also plays a significant role. The church seems connected with the Mafia activities. In fact the three factors that are political power, the Mafia and the Church seem to be connected as Laurana finds out in his course of investigating the murder of Manno (Sciascia and Foulke, 2000, p. 87). This was not surprising because the Church has always been accused of tolerating the Mafia for a long time, for instance by denying its existence in spite of the evidence being crystal clear. Erotic passion is also visible throughput the novel. The author uses this to explore some of the side characteristics of the Sicilian culture.
As observed, To Each His Own can be seen to an exploration of a society dominated by the Mafia ways and which has over time come to condone, accept and also foster this culture. The author shows how the Sicilian culture during this period was a slave of the Mafia and where political power, religion and the Mafia were all connected. It shows how the Mafia had enacted its influence over the people who had come to accept it as one of the dominant forces that guided society’s activities.
References
Sciascia, L., & Foulke, A. W. (2000). To each his own. New York: New York Review Books
