Following E.M. Foster's example in "A Room with a View", be inspired by Santa Croce and use it as a location for a short story. Write a short treatment.
My short story would feature the main character as Daniel, a young man in the early 1900’s who has a spinal condition that makes him stand out from everyone else. He has gone through life acutely aware of how much different and smaller he is than all of his peers. On the outside, he appears a cheerful, normal person, but on the inside he is torn up by how people look at and treat him differently, even in the subtlest of ways. He is an extremely talented musician and is employed by a touring orchestra. Despite his superior skill, his conductor does not make him the “principal” of the percussion section, and instead places him in the back of the orchestra to hide his physical condition from the crowd. When the orchestra travels to Florence for a weekend, Daniel is exploring the city when he stumbles upon Santa Croce. Drawn to it’s extravagant facade, he decides to enter the church. As he walks nearer, he is puzzled by the fact that a Catholic Basilica could so predominantly feature the Star of David and yet hold the fame and prestige that Santa Croce does.
Inside the church, Daniel feels smaller than ever under its enormous arches. Even the people buried in its walls seem larger than life. Then Daniel hears a wonderful sound and looks towards the altar for the first time to see a choir singing, the magnificent crucifix among all the stained glass and paintings, and, finally, his conductor kneeling in the first pew. Seeing his antagonist humbled in prayer and being overwhelmed by the entire scene, Daniel, for the first time in his life, feels no different than anyone else. He realizes that we all pale in comparison to the glory of God, and that we are all the same in His eyes.
My short story would feature the main character as Daniel, a young man in the early 1900’s who has a spinal condition that makes him stand out from everyone else. He has gone through life acutely aware of how much different and smaller he is than all of his peers. On the outside, he appears a cheerful, normal person, but on the inside he is torn up by how people look at and treat him differently, even in the subtlest of ways. He is an extremely talented musician and is employed by a touring orchestra. Despite his superior skill, his conductor does not make him the “principal” of the percussion section, and instead places him in the back of the orchestra to hide his physical condition from the crowd. When the orchestra travels to Florence for a weekend, Daniel is exploring the city when he stumbles upon Santa Croce. Drawn to it’s extravagant facade, he decides to enter the church. As he walks nearer, he is puzzled by the fact that a Catholic Basilica could so predominantly feature the Star of David and yet hold the fame and prestige that Santa Croce does.
RispondiEliminaInside the church, Daniel feels smaller than ever under its enormous arches. Even the people buried in its walls seem larger than life. Then Daniel hears a wonderful sound and looks towards the altar for the first time to see a choir singing, the magnificent crucifix among all the stained glass and paintings, and, finally, his conductor kneeling in the first pew. Seeing his antagonist humbled in prayer and being overwhelmed by the entire scene, Daniel, for the first time in his life, feels no different than anyone else. He realizes that we all pale in comparison to the glory of God, and that we are all the same in His eyes.
Jack Behrens