You've got to have rules and order—especially in a village full of people. Strega Nona knows this, and that's why she sets limits for Big Anthony when he starts working for her. Unfortunately, Big Anthony was absent (or maybe just not paying attention) the day someone gave him the rules and order talk. And you know what happens when Big Anthony doesn't follow the rules. That's right: pasta tsunami. That's a big reason that rules and order are an important theme in Strega Nona.
Questions About Rules and Order
- What sort of rules does Strega Nona set for Big Anthony when he begins working for her? How is their arrangement supposed to work? Does this seem like a fair exchange? Why or why not?
- What is the one rule Strega Nona tells Big Anthony more than once? What is the one rule Big Anthony breaks? Do you think there's some correlation here? Why is it that the rule he breaks is the one that is the most important to follow?
- What happens to order in the village when Big Anthony does the one thing Strega Nona tells him he must never do?
- Have you ever done something you were specifically told not to do? When? What happened?
Chew on This
If Strega Nona hadn't made such a big deal about the magic pasta pot, Big Anthony probably wouldn't have bothered with it.
If Big Anthony had just waited long enough to see Strega Nona blow the three kisses to stop the pasta pot, he could have broken the rule about touching it and suffered no bad consequences.