Later we see that one of the sisters at the convent knows what is happening between Gelsomina and Zampano. Their fear of injury to themselves is greater than their fear of a woman being brutalized by a violent man.

The men say nothing as Zampano threatens violence upon them to, and we see no one confronts him for fear of being hurt themselves. Zampano rides in and throws her in his caravan after slapping her in front of the men that she's been drinking with. After Gelsomina leaves Zampano we see her in a plaza.

Sometimes they speak up, but they don't speak out nor do they do anything directly to stop Zampano's wrath. Throughout the film Fellini shows characters that witness the abuse of Zampano upon Gelsomina and other people. We finally see the consequences of Zampano’s life of violence hold the greatest of consequence. Finally, Zampano’s physical brutality turns to murder when he kills The Fool for humiliating him at the circus. The result of this brutality is the isolation and depleted self-worth one can create in someone, as well as co-dependence as the abuser becomes necessary for the abused to feel validated. In fact, every question Gelsomina asks him he neglects to answer in any meaningful way, if at all. We also see the strong man never answer any of Gelsomina’s questions about her sister and later about marriage.

This brutalizes her both emotionally and mentally as she has no true understanding of love outside her experience with Zampano. Zampano then proceeds to sleep with other women, never minding that he is committing the act in plain sight of Gelsomina’s innocence. He slaps her in the town plaza after she’s run away and rapes her on their first night together. And, we see him lord his strength over Gelsomina throughout their journey on the road physically, mentally and emotionally. Until the very end the strong man represents the animalistic nature of man. Zampano is the embodiment of brutality in Fellini’s film. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

Federico fellini la strada