Objects That Mark a Life

Pinocchio (Tania Zamorsky Edition)

The primer, gold coins, nose, donkey cap, and abandoned puppet body each turn Pinocchio’s changing values into concrete objects.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Primer The Primer from "Pinocchio". A Book Bought in Sacrifice Geppetto’s Coat Geppetto sells his only coat to buy Pinocchio a primer.

A Book Bought in Sacrifice Geppetto’s Coat Geppetto sells his only coat to buy Pinocchio a primer. The book is therefore more than a school supply: it carries the cost of a father’s hope for his child. A Failed Beginning Pinocchio sells the primer to see a puppet show. The book’s quick passage from sacrifice to sale establishes a material measure of how lightly he initially treats other people’s devotion.

The Five Gold Coins The Five Gold Coins from "Pinocchio". A Gift Diverted A Purposeful Reward Mangiafoco gives Pinocchio five coins for Geppetto.

A Gift Diverted A Purposeful Reward Mangiafoco gives Pinocchio five coins for Geppetto. The money carries an explicit purpose, making the puppet’s choice about what to do with it a measure of his responsibility. False Promise Pinocchio follows the Fox and the Cat, who claim the coins can multiply in the Field of Miracles. The gold changes from a possible act of care into the bait that draws him into fraud.

The Growing Nose The Growing Nose from "Pinocchio". Dishonesty Made Visible A Physical Sign Pinocchio lies to the Blue-Haired Fairy about the coins, and his nose grows with each false explanation.

The Growing Nose from "Pinocchio". Dishonesty Made Visible A Physical Sign Pinocchio lies to the Blue-Haired Fairy about the coins, and his nose grows with each false explanation.

Dishonesty Made Visible A Physical Sign Pinocchio lies to the Blue-Haired Fairy about the coins, and his nose grows with each false explanation. The body gives visible form to a moral evasion that he hopes to keep hidden. An Obstacle to Escape The nose becomes so long that Pinocchio cannot pass through the door. What he treats as a private verbal shortcut becomes a material obstacle that requires help and renewed honesty to overcome.

The Cotton Cap The Cotton Cap from "Pinocchio". Shame Concealed A Covering Chosen Pinocchio hides his new donkey ears beneath a large cotton cap and goes to find Lucignolo.

The Cotton Cap from "Pinocchio". Shame Concealed A Covering Chosen Pinocchio hides his new donkey ears beneath a large cotton cap and goes to find Lucignolo.

Shame Concealed A Covering Chosen Pinocchio hides his new donkey ears beneath a large cotton cap and goes to find Lucignolo. The cap lets him postpone admitting what has happened. Shared Truth Revealed Lucignolo also wears a cap, and the friends agree to remove them together. The object of concealment becomes the means by which they reveal their shared transformation.

The Puppet Left Behind The Puppet Left Behind from "Pinocchio". An Old Form A Wooden Reminder After waking as a boy, Pinocchio sees his former puppet body leaning awkwardly against a chair.

The Puppet Left Behind from "Pinocchio". An Old Form A Wooden Reminder After waking as a boy, Pinocchio sees his former puppet body leaning awkwardly against a chair.

An Old Form A Wooden Reminder After waking as a boy, Pinocchio sees his former puppet body leaning awkwardly against a chair. It is no longer his living self, but it remains present as a reminder of where he began. Change Without Erasure Pinocchio is pleased to have become a well-behaved boy, while the old puppet remains visible in the room. The object makes transformation concrete without suggesting that his earlier mistakes have disappeared from the story.

At the beginning of Pinocchio’s education

After Pinocchio saves Arlecchino

During the Fairy’s questioning about the lost coins

On the morning the boys discover their donkey ears

At the final scene in Geppetto’s home