Character Analysis
Not So Simple
"Oh, Big Anthony. Why did you have to touch that pasta pot?"
That's what some readers may wonder about the big, sweet villager who accepts a job as Strega Nona's helper. Tomie de Paolo has an easy answer to that question. According to dePaola, "Big Anthony is like all of us. He isn't dumb and he isn't stupid. But he doesn't pay attention." (Source)
It was important to dePaola to make this distinction. For one thing, he felt like there were enough folktales that featured a simpleton (quite often a servant girl) making foolish mistakes. But for another, and more importantly, he felt that Big Anthony simply not paying attention was something most people could relate to. And truly, all of Big Anthony's actions are highly relatable, which makes him a great foil to the all-knowing, ever wise Strega Nona.
You and Me and Everyone We Know
While Strega Nona represents an ideal to which many aspire but few attain, Big Anthony is a kind of "everyman." He's a hard worker and an eager helper, as we can see by how quickly and judiciously he takes to his chores (11).
His desire for a good job, fair pay, and a safe place to live are values to which most people can relate, as is his strong work ethic. And when Big Anthony decides to use the magic pasta pot despite Strega Nona's repeated warnings, he's acting with some pretty basic—and understandable—motivations.
Pride Goeth Before the Pasta Tsunami
Big Anthony's first motivation is pride. His has been hurt because the rest of the villagers laughed at him and called him a liar when he told them about the magic pasta pot. Not being believed is a drag. We know it, you know it, and Big Anthony definitely knows it. And Big Anthony reacts the way many of us would: he gets angry, which, as dePaola says, "wasn't a very good thing to be" (14). Why? Because people don't always make the best decisions when they're upset.
The other motivating factor for Big Anthony is also something most people can relate to: the desire to do something that's been forbidden. Think about it, dear Shmoopers. How much more attractive do cookies on a high shelf become when someone points them out to you and tells you not to eat them? Infinitely more attractive, that's how much. Just ask this guy. And any kid (or adult) who's been told not to touch this, that, or the other thing: forbidden fruit is the sweetest. Even Emily Dickinson thinks so. But back to Big Anthony.
Big Anthony = Big Lessons
A final motivation for Big Anthony when it comes to messing with the pasta pot is the desire to belong and be loved. When Big Anthony makes pasta for the whole village, he becomes—for a short time—a hero. Indeed, after everyone has been fed, Big Anthony goes outside "to the applause of the crowd" (21). But we know what happens next, and just as quickly as Big Anthony was elevated to star-status, he plunges to pariah-level. Which again, makes Big Anthony…totally human.
In the end, Big Anthony accepts his punishment without complaint, and we get the sense from the last picture (36) that while his stomach might be uncomfortable for a while, all will be well—which is another important lesson for all us humans to learn.
Sure, the primary lesson we get from Big Anthony and his foibles in this story is that it's important to listen well and obey rules and limits, but we can also learn perseverance from Big Anthony. Sure, he almost drowns his village in pasta and his friends and peers call for some pretty severe punishment. But in the end, everything turns out okay, and it's clear that Big Anthony will live to make many more mistakes. And to be redeemed and forgiven for them all.