Valumello By Donna Caruso Summary

Palumello it’s a warm, happy and peaceful narrative, written by Donna Caruso, which tells the story of Donna Maria and the love she shared with her grandmother. Through Donna Maria’s memories we get to know her childhood as well as the relation between her and her maternal grandmother. The story starts with Donna’s grandmother singing her a lullaby where she tells her that she is her butterfly and eventually she’d be free followed by more memories of Donna Maria of her childhood and the time she spent with her grandmother while growing up. In the story neither Donna Marie nor the grandmother speak the same language, that’s because the girl had been born in Canada while the woman had immigrated to the country from Italy, still they develop a bond that let them communicate with each other without words. The memories of Donna Marie carry a nostalgic, happy and peaceful mood. The parts were her grandmother takes care of her are nice a give a warm feeling to the story. Donna doesn’t …show more content…
It symbolizes Donna Maria in many ways. When she was a child she wore a cast that could be compared to the cocoon in which a butterfly grows until is ready to extend its wings and fly free. Donna often feels isolated from the rest of her family, and her mentality could also be part of her cocoon that she must be free of. At the end of the story Donna Marie has a better understanding of her grandmother and herself, which could mean that she is finally free, like a butterfly which has extended its wings. Her grandmother sings a lullaby were she calls her my butterfly and tells her that she’ll be free. That indicates that the grandmother knows how she feels and wants to let her know that everything will be better in the future. Palumello also symbolizes two cultures connected by love. Grandmother sings to Donna Marie in Italian and even when she doesn’t understand she feels reassured and loved by hearing the