Beneath a Scarlet Sky

In the beginning of the novel, Pino is a typical 17-year-old boy interested in girls, music, and food. He is “1.85 meters tall, seventy-five kilograms, long and gangly, with big hands and feet, hair that defied taming, and enough acne and awkwardness that none of the girls he’d asked to the movies had agreed to accompany him” (7). However, after spending time hiking in the Alps for Father Re, several members of his family comment about how much bigger and stronger Pino has become. Pino is often anxious about being useful during the war and the German occupation of Italy. After learning about Nazi atrocities from Father Re, Pino commits himself to fighting against them because he believes it’s the right thing to do. Pino is determined to prove to others that he’s more than just a young boy, whether it’s to his family or to Anna, who initially jokes about how young Pino is. Pino is also a romantic, falling for Anna on the first day he saw her, believing that there is a clear line between right and wrong, and believing, at least initially, that good will prevail. As Pino comes of age, his idealism is challenged when he must confront the horrors of war and Nazi atrocities up close.