La Vita Nuova

The value of being an accomplished artist often leads to a strong imagination. In “La Vita Nuova”, Amanda is introduced as a skilled artist, and someone with a wide imagination. The importance of Amanda’s talent for painting is seen in her relationship with Nathaniel, because the two are able to interact in a familiar relationship, unlike the other relationships of the story. Art and creativity are important aspects in this story for Amanda and Nathaniel’s relationship, because the nurture between the two helps Nathaniel to have a tender relationship, and Amanda to have a relationship where she can be herself, free from judgement. Amanda has a talent in art, as introduced on the first page of “La Vita Nuova”. This talent for art, stems from …show more content…
She’d singed the edges of the parchment to make it look old. The map showed the cave at the source of the Charles River, the swan boats flying away, the chocolate mice at Burdick’s. Christina’s Ice Cream, Ashmont, the cemetery with dragons’ teeth” (Goodman 1). With this painting of the summer memories, Amanda commemorates Nathaniel’s and her relationship, creating a memory of their connection of imagination. Amanda’s bad engagement and Nathaniel’s divorced parents, who shared different priorities than he, lacked nurturing relationships, but when they entered the others lives’, imagination and art helped to create that relationship which they …show more content…
Nathaniel was able to experience a caring adult-child relationship, and Amanda was able to grieve over her ended relationship. One of the major determinants of the connection the two have is their imaginations, which Amanda’s painting helps to illustrate with her map. The importance of art in this short story is hand-in-hand with the importance of imagination, which fuels Amanda’s art. The two characters formed a bond over their imaginations which the other figures in the story could not