La Nona: A Family’s Tragic Downfall
La Nona: A Summary of the Play
Summary:
The play begins with the family gathered around the table. Carmelo starts to review the household accounts, revealing a precarious and concerning financial situation. Carmelo warns Chicho that he will have to start working to bring some money into the family.
Chicho talks with Carmelo and convinces him to take Nona to the doctor to see how much longer she has to live. Carmelo and Chicho visit the doctor, who tells them that Nona is in perfect health and will likely live for many more years.
Chicho insists that Carmelo should work, but Carmelo is reluctant, claiming he has never worked and is too weak. Chicho then devises a plan to marry Nona off to Franccesco, believing this would solve their financial problems and relieve them of Nona’s burden.
Chicho proposes the marriage to Franccesco, who initially refuses, as he is in love with Martita and hoped to marry her. However, Chicho fabricates a story about a false inheritance and tells Franccesco that Nona only has one month left to live. Martita, unbeknownst to her parents, is working as a prostitute, lying that she is a pharmacist with night shifts.
Under these false pretenses, Franccesco agrees to the marriage. Anyula, who has long harbored feelings for Franccesco, is heartbroken by the news.
After the marriage, Nona makes life difficult not only for her family but also for Franccesco. She eats everything in his kiosk, leading to his financial ruin. Franccesco becomes invalid and ages rapidly. Chicho suggests giving him a cup and sending him to the streets to beg.
Carmelo loses his job, worsening the family’s financial situation. They begin to mortgage and sell their belongings. Carmelo’s drinking problem escalates, and he becomes an alcoholic. Don Franccesco manages to collect a significant amount of money in one day.
Everyone in the house makes a double effort to earn more money, including Anyula, who increases her piano lesson fees and takes on more students. However, the money is barely enough to cover food, especially for Nona’s insatiable appetite. One day, Don Franccesco disappears from his usual spot, and that source of income is lost.
Carmelo’s addiction worsens, and they continue selling their possessions, including furniture, the refrigerator, and even their beds. One day, everyone leaves the house, leaving a lit brazier in Nona’s room while she sleeps. When they close the door, Nona gets up, moves the brazier to the dining room, and starts to cook eggs.
Chicho, in desperation, decides to poison Nona’s drink. However, Anyula mistakenly drinks the poison and dies. Martita, having revealed her true profession to the family, collapses from exhaustion due to overwork and dies in the clinic.
Carmelo also dies due to alcohol poisoning, suffering a heart attack. Maria takes the safe and gives it to Chicho to buy food for Nona, then leaves for Argentina to live with her sister.
Chicho, left alone with Nona and driven to the brink of despair by the deaths and the loss of everything, grabs a gun. He points it at Nona but then turns it on himself, committing suicide.
Thus, the only person left alive is Nona, the one who made life miserable for everyone around her.