Nationalism
Nationalism and national identity is an important theme. The title Tally鈥檚 Blood suggests the importance of Italian family ties, but the nickname Tally also suggests the negative side of nationalism.
The characters define themselves in relation to their national heritage and the country they live in.
Rosinella
Rosinella identifies strongly as an Italian. She believes Italians to be superior to Scottish people.
- She says to Lucia
Listen, hen, you鈥檙e Italian, that makes you special.
- She haggles in shops even although this is not usual behaviour in Scotland -
But it鈥檚 alright for me. I鈥檓 an Italian.
- She believes Italians to be hardworking and devoted to their families, unlike Scottish people. She states that
I don鈥檛 know anybody works so hard as the Italian men
and claimsNobody loves their families like the Italians.
Rosinella鈥檚 fierce nationalism leads her to be prejudiced against Scottish people.
- She implies that Scottish girls are promiscuous and tells Franco that he can
play around with them, so long as you marry your own kind.
- She suggests that Scottish people do not take their family responsibilities seriously. -
OK, so Scotch people let their lassies go anywhere, do anything they like because they don鈥檛 care as much.
By defining people by their nationality, Rosinella is blind to their true characters 鈥 Hughie鈥檚 hard work, Bridget鈥檚 love for Franco.
Massimo
In contrast to Rosinella, Massimo does not hold the same prejudices against the Scots.
Massimo has a dual identity - born in Italy, raised in Scotland. This creates conflict when war breaks out, as he says:
I always thought I was lucky. I had two countries. Now I feel I鈥檝e got nowhere.
Massimo and his family are victims of fierce anti-Italian prejudice - his shop is attacked and they are subjected to racial slurs, such as Fascist pigs. Greasy tallies.
When Italy joins the war, it is assumed that Italian men are enemy aliens. They are rounded up and held prisoner. Massimo鈥檚 monologue suggests they were roughly treated.
Lucia
As a child, Lucia is reluctant to give up her Italian identity.
In school she refuses to speak English and her teacher tells Rosinella and Massimo to stop speaking Italian at home. The classroom scene shows that Lucia suffers prejudice from her teacher.
By speaking Italian, Lucia attempts to stay true to her Italian heritage. When she grows up, however, she is embarrassed by Rosinella鈥檚 Italian customs after she bargains in a shop. This shows Lucia to have a conflicting attitude towards her dual identity.
Franco
Throughout the play, Franco is clearly proud of his Italian heritage. He frequently talks in Italian and enjoys singing Italian songs. Despite his Italian heritage, Franco sees himself as British. He tells Massimo:
I was born here. That makes me British
And his loving relationship with Bridget shows that nationality is of less importance to him.
Bridget
Although she loves Franco, Bridget shows some anti-Italian feeling, directed towards Rosinella, and refers to Typical 鈥榚ye-ties鈥.