Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
War: Horror, Beauty, and Humanity
Power, Reality, and Absurdity
History and Storytelling
Politics and Friendship
Family, Opportunity, and Gender Dynamics
Summary
Analysis
Pelagia remembers Dr. Iannis. She remembers how he'd put her to sleep as a child and then, during the day, they'd discuss poetry and fight on purpose. He'd tell stories about the Turks and faraway lands. Now, Pelagia sits in her childhood home and sees only ghosts. She thinks her home is nothing but sadness and life is a prison. She spends all her time at the house thinking that her life could've been different had Corelli lived. Pelagia mourns her father's death and remembers Velisarios digging him out. In that moment, she'd realized that Dr. Iannis was the only man who'd loved her to the end.
Pelagia's memories of fighting on purpose with Dr. Iannis reinforces the novel's assertion that for the Greeks, arguing about things is one of the main ways they build community, family, and relationships. Pelagia's hopelessness comes from the fact that though she's been taught to think, she hasn't learned how to truly exist on her own and lead. This then becomes her next quest.
Themes
