The Jade Peony and Palumello are similar stories with similar themes. In both narratives the plot revolves around children and the bond they shared with their grandmother; their memories tell how their grandmothers, who had a different way to see the life than the rest of their families, took care of them in their childhood, making them feel loved and less isolated from the rest. In Palumello that is reflected by most of the memories of Donna Marie’s childhood when her grandmother sang her lullabies, made her pastina for breakfast and spent time with her, either watching the fights on T.V or just sitting next to her while the rest of her family participated in dance lessons that she could not be part of due to the cast she had from her waist
