When Antonio's bicycle is stolen, he loses more than a bike. The brand name of the bicycle "Fides" (Faith in Latin) suggest it has symbolic value. What is the significance of that symbol? What does Antonio lose? Are there other symbols in this film?
The idea of the bicycle representing Antonio’s “faith” is a very interesting and valid one. In fact, the whole movie can be seen as Antonio’s slow but steadily loss of faith in society, nicely symbolized by his hunt for the stolen bike. His search is in turn a representation of humanity’s quest to get out of bad times by clinging to whatever institutions seem to offer them a solution, however absurd these solutions may be. At the start of the film, Antonio and his family are very optimistic. He has received a solid job that will sustain them in the difficult economic times facing Italy, and everything will turn out alright. As a sign of their faith in the future, they pawn their bed-sheets to procure the necessary funds for regaining their bicycle. They believe in the system and its support of those who work hard and follow the rules. However, this jovial atmosphere is shattered by the theft of the bicycle, destroying their source of income and ability to take care of themselves. In order to solve this predicament, Antonio chooses to rely on the various organizations around him, one of whom he knows will be able to help him. He has faith that society will avenge his loss; the plot of the film is this faith’s steady disintegration. First Antonio turns to the police for help, representative of the government in general. What do they say? “You have filed your report, now get out of here and look for the bike yourself.” The officer at the desk cares more about attending a political rally than helping Antonio, and, when asked by an underling if he can be of assistance, he dismisses, blatantly trivializing Antonio’s problem. Antonio learns a harsh truth from this encounter: the government cares little for the common man and is unwilling to help him. Thus his faith in one institution collapses. Antonio then turns to his friend Baiocco and, indirectly, the Communist Party. Baiocco is far more sympathetic to his problem and agrees to help him search for the bicycle the next day. This is one of the major glimmers of hope in the film for Antonio, that he will be able to solve his problems with the aid of his friends. However, as the small group enters the massive marketplace, it becomes quickly apparent that they have little hope of finding the stolen bicycle. Friendship (and again, depending on your interpretation of events, Communism) may be a heartwarming ideal, but it is impractical against the overwhelming problems of reality. It takes more than heart to succeed in this world. Continued...
Where can Antonio turn next? To the church, perhaps. When Antonio and Bruno pursue the old man into the church to learn about the thief, they are symbolically placing their faith in the church to help them. Similarly, the masses of people crammed into building, hoping for a shave and a good meal, are relying on the institution to support them in difficult times. But what is the result of sacrifice of attending Mass? Unfortunately, there is little gain from it. While Antonio learns the location of the thief, the old man escapes him. For the others present, some of them are denied complete shaves due to time shortages, and, when they approach them meal, they are told it is not yet ready. Furthermore, the church workers are seen as silly pricks, interfering with Antonio’s efforts, ridiculously stopping to cross themselves as they chase him across the room, and shepherding worshippers into the sanctuary without even really noticing them. By this point, Antonio is feeling desperate. His faith in the government, the power of friends, and religion have largely been shattered, and he is little closer to finding his lost bicycle. Thus, he turns to the unknown, the fortune teller whom he so rationally poo-pooed earlier in the film. Cutting the long line of other desolate souls seeking her aid, he (or really Bruno) demands an answer as to the location of his bike. Her reply? “You will find it soon, or you will not find it at all,” perhaps the most basic piece of common sense imaginable. For all her grandeur and reputation, the woman has no true divine strength. She cannot help him, just reiterate logical ideas that he undoubtedly already knows. However, the swarm of visitors hoping to hear her wisdom reveals a major message of the film: in our darkest hours, humans have a tendency to cling to anything that could possibly bring them respite from their troubles, despite how ridiculous these ideas may seem to a rational thinker. Faithful, happy Antonio would find it silly to seek help from the supernatural; desperate Antonio finds it essential. Antonio’s loss of faith in society is completed by his theft of the bicycle at the end of the film. After he confronts the thief, accuses him, and searches his house with a police officer, only to be told he should drop the charges because of the mob of angry men supporting the boy, there really appears to him to be no other solution besides more thievery. He has consulted virtually every major institution, and none of them have been able to give him any real aid. He then has no choice but to defy them all, breaking the rules of society to try to achieve a better life. His fides, his “faith” is gone forever, and he has no good way to get it back. He has played by the rules and done everything he can, but the system does not care. Alas, the world is (at least in the context of this film) a dark, lonely place.
The brand name of the bicycle, Fides, does suggest that there is symbolic value in losing the bike. Antonio had his bike stolen, but he was also losing his faith, faith in society, faith in people, and faith in himself. He learned that you could no longer trust anyone, people in general and society itself. The police do not help him. Instead the police pick the “bad” side, or rather the side opposing Antonio, the side that ganged up on him and tried to publically humiliate him. The police officer openly acknowledged how Antonio would have too many of those men against him and he would easily lose. The officer did not even consider that Antonio might be correct in his accusation. Another example of how Italian society functioned was when the Church was very harsh and appeared to care more about their rituals than caring for others in need. Antonio learned from his experience with theft that Italian society was not all he thought it should have been and along with his bicycle, he lost faith in society. He also lost all faith in others. He learned that he could not trust people in general. Even after the bicycle was stolen and Antonio confronted the thief but he pretended not to know what he was talking about. The thief lied and tried to deceive Antonio. The thief proved that he could not be trusted with caused Antonio to lose faith in others. Another symbol in the film is Antonio’s hat. At the end of the film, he looses his hat and it humiliated in public. Bruno ultimately saves his father and by returning his hat, he restores Antonio’s dignity and integrity.
I believe that the Fides has a great symbolic value that adds to the meaning of the film, not by representing faith in a spiritual or religious sense, but by representing faith in social stability. Rather than translating directly and into "Faith", the Roman meaning of Fides had more to do with the concepts of trust, social integrity, and upstanding behavior. According to csun.edu, the Romans used the word in relation to men in charge of public affairs as well as other social and political relationships. If we apply this definition of Fides to Bicycle Thieves, the symbolic value of the bicycle takes on a whole new meaning. We can think of Antonio's bicycle as an emblem of good faith and the positive social relationship between upstanding commoners. When Antonio walks down the street after retrieving his bicycle from the bustling pawn shop, we clings to it tightly and nods his head to the people passing by as if to say, "here is my property. Respect that it is mine and I will respect your property and dignity in return." Antonio clings to this sense of respecting property with a passion that suggests he secretly distrusts the social integrity of others. He brings his bike in to the office of his employer, carrying the heavy bike on his shoulder just to send the signal that he is a good man that his employer can trust. As he waits for his wife to come back down from the psychic's apartment, he clings to his bike with an air of ambivalence. Finally he leaves the bike under the protection of two kids playing bocce ball. At this point, we see no reason for Antonio's cautious and suspicious attitude towards the "Fides" of Italian society. The moment of irony comes when his bike is stolen. He is working hard at his job, doing a service to society, and here his symbol of trust and mutual respect is stolen from right under his nose. His emblem of social integrity, so precariously held up to that point, is torn down the second Antonio turns his head away. This demonstrates the fragile state of social integrity within society and the fragile state of what appears to be an honor system. This is post WWII Italian society and the general environment is one that lacks a sense of control and authority as the government works to rebuild itself and its infrastructure. While society can sustain itself to some extent without a central authority based on the concept of Fides, the idea of capitalism largely depends on the people being good natured and trustworthy. When the kid steals Antonio's bike, we see that the social system and laws of society, while encouraging good behavior, have no real safeguards against bad behavior. The police are ineffectual in helping Antonio look for his lost bike and the church seems to be a place where commoners go to get free food and pretend to worship god through meaningless rituals. One solution to this unstable state of society that is offered in the film, or at least hinted at, is the concept of communism. In communism, Fides turns from a value that people should have but usually don't, into a way of life that is forced upon everyone equally. Theoretically, in communism, Antonio would never encounter the scenario that he finds in the movie. He would never have reason to be suspicious of others and distrust them in regard to his bike. Additionally, he would never feel so degraded and antagonized by society that he would attempt to antagonize them in return, as he does at the end of the film when trying to steal a bike outside the soccer stadium. All in all, the fact that Antonio's ownership of his bike, his property, is in such a fragile state such that it can be toppled by one meddling kid is symbolic of the fragile state of Fides in a disorganized, capitalistic society.
The brand name of the bicycle “Fides” suggests that there is symbolic value strategically placed throughout the movie. The entire movie centers on faith. While it is Antonio’s fate that his bike was stolen and he cannot find it around the city, it is also centered on Bruno’s faith in believing in his father. From the beginning of movie we see Antonio’s bike being stolen, which represents him loosing his faith. As the storyline progresses, we see Antonio maintain his faith for the majority of the time he searches for his bike, but with each passing hour the situation becomes helpless. In a way, this is where Bruno comes into play and ultimately helps his father persevere and keep up the search for his lost bike. Many other symbols are shown throughout each passing scene in correspondence with the loss of faith. One example could be the loss of faith in Italian society. Antonio looses his faith in society through the numerous unjust events that occur while he is in search of his bike. The scene that stood out to me the most was when Antonio brings the police officer to help him arrest the man who stole his bike, and is instead left in the dust without help because he has no witness and the thief has many more people backing up his lies. Not only does this symbolize Antonio’s faith lost by authoritative figures that are supposed to help, but also by the common citizens around him and throughout Italy. The only moment we see Antonio’s faith being to be restored is after he is caught stealing the bike. This moment of truth comes from Bruno still believing in his dad, at the end when everything has gone wrong, and still holding his hand. This act of compassion symbolizes Antonio’s faith being restored in himself, and society.
The bicycle in Bicycle Thieves is the key to Antonio and his family’s survival and lively hood. If he can perform his job properly and earn his pay he must use a bicycle. Because he has his bicycle he has faith in his future. But when the bike is stolen he cannot perform the job properly and will eventually lose it. When he loses the bike his faith in his future is lost as well. In a way the bicycle is his faith, as when he possesses it his future is secure, but when he doesn’t his future is in peril. It’s a little ironic how after he loses the bicycle he starts to have faith in things that he didn’t before. He goes to a psychic, church, and a political party meeting all in the belief that they will offer him some help. However prior to the incident, he criticized these institutions and dismissed them as liars and cheats. This shows how in desperate times people will look for help and guidance in anything. Antonio and his situation is a fine example of that. There are many other symbols within the movie as well. A few of these are the posters of Gilda being hung up by Antonio and the broken down gas station Bruno works at. The gas station shows the state of the economy at the time as it is in such poor condition. Also the fact that a child has to work their shows the desperation of the family to make money.
The bicycle brand "Fides" in the movie represents more than just faith for Antonio. After losing his original bicycle for his job, Antonio is definitely lost, not only physically but mentally. He starts losing hope of supporting his family and being able to live a life he always imagined. As Oliver said in the previous post, Antonio starts gaining faith in things that he didn't even think about associating with before. For example, the psychic that Bruno and Antonio see would never have happened because he criticizes his wife for believing in her. Now that he is mentally lost because he lost his bike, he tries finding anything that might help him find his bike back and regain his true "fides." Antonio loses his true "fides" when his bike was stolen and tries to do anything possible to get his bike back which leads to a more faithful, pleasant life. The bike represents his life in totality. If he doesn't have his bike, he becomes a poor man not able to support his beloved family. He tries everything he can to get his bike back which is the key not only to his success in the economic stand point but his success in his personal life with his family. The irony of the bike brand being named "fides" is so spot on because without some sort of "fides" in life, no one could survive.
The idea of the bicycle representing Antonio’s “faith” is a very interesting and valid one. In fact, the whole movie can be seen as Antonio’s slow but steadily loss of faith in society, nicely symbolized by his hunt for the stolen bike. His search is in turn a representation of humanity’s quest to get out of bad times by clinging to whatever institutions seem to offer them a solution, however absurd these solutions may be.
ReplyDeleteAt the start of the film, Antonio and his family are very optimistic. He has received a solid job that will sustain them in the difficult economic times facing Italy, and everything will turn out alright. As a sign of their faith in the future, they pawn their bed-sheets to procure the necessary funds for regaining their bicycle. They believe in the system and its support of those who work hard and follow the rules. However, this jovial atmosphere is shattered by the theft of the bicycle, destroying their source of income and ability to take care of themselves. In order to solve this predicament, Antonio chooses to rely on the various organizations around him, one of whom he knows will be able to help him. He has faith that society will avenge his loss; the plot of the film is this faith’s steady disintegration. First Antonio turns to the police for help, representative of the government in general. What do they say? “You have filed your report, now get out of here and look for the bike yourself.” The officer at the desk cares more about attending a political rally than helping Antonio, and, when asked by an underling if he can be of assistance, he dismisses, blatantly trivializing Antonio’s problem. Antonio learns a harsh truth from this encounter: the government cares little for the common man and is unwilling to help him. Thus his faith in one institution collapses.
Antonio then turns to his friend Baiocco and, indirectly, the Communist Party. Baiocco is far more sympathetic to his problem and agrees to help him search for the bicycle the next day. This is one of the major glimmers of hope in the film for Antonio, that he will be able to solve his problems with the aid of his friends. However, as the small group enters the massive marketplace, it becomes quickly apparent that they have little hope of finding the stolen bicycle. Friendship (and again, depending on your interpretation of events, Communism) may be a heartwarming ideal, but it is impractical against the overwhelming problems of reality. It takes more than heart to succeed in this world.
Continued...
Where can Antonio turn next? To the church, perhaps. When Antonio and Bruno pursue the old man into the church to learn about the thief, they are symbolically placing their faith in the church to help them. Similarly, the masses of people crammed into building, hoping for a shave and a good meal, are relying on the institution to support them in difficult times. But what is the result of sacrifice of attending Mass? Unfortunately, there is little gain from it. While Antonio learns the location of the thief, the old man escapes him. For the others present, some of them are denied complete shaves due to time shortages, and, when they approach them meal, they are told it is not yet ready. Furthermore, the church workers are seen as silly pricks, interfering with Antonio’s efforts, ridiculously stopping to cross themselves as they chase him across the room, and shepherding worshippers into the sanctuary without even really noticing them.
DeleteBy this point, Antonio is feeling desperate. His faith in the government, the power of friends, and religion have largely been shattered, and he is little closer to finding his lost bicycle. Thus, he turns to the unknown, the fortune teller whom he so rationally poo-pooed earlier in the film. Cutting the long line of other desolate souls seeking her aid, he (or really Bruno) demands an answer as to the location of his bike. Her reply? “You will find it soon, or you will not find it at all,” perhaps the most basic piece of common sense imaginable. For all her grandeur and reputation, the woman has no true divine strength. She cannot help him, just reiterate logical ideas that he undoubtedly already knows. However, the swarm of visitors hoping to hear her wisdom reveals a major message of the film: in our darkest hours, humans have a tendency to cling to anything that could possibly bring them respite from their troubles, despite how ridiculous these ideas may seem to a rational thinker. Faithful, happy Antonio would find it silly to seek help from the supernatural; desperate Antonio finds it essential.
Antonio’s loss of faith in society is completed by his theft of the bicycle at the end of the film. After he confronts the thief, accuses him, and searches his house with a police officer, only to be told he should drop the charges because of the mob of angry men supporting the boy, there really appears to him to be no other solution besides more thievery. He has consulted virtually every major institution, and none of them have been able to give him any real aid. He then has no choice but to defy them all, breaking the rules of society to try to achieve a better life. His fides, his “faith” is gone forever, and he has no good way to get it back. He has played by the rules and done everything he can, but the system does not care. Alas, the world is (at least in the context of this film) a dark, lonely place.
The brand name of the bicycle, Fides, does suggest that there is symbolic value in losing the bike. Antonio had his bike stolen, but he was also losing his faith, faith in society, faith in people, and faith in himself. He learned that you could no longer trust anyone, people in general and society itself. The police do not help him. Instead the police pick the “bad” side, or rather the side opposing Antonio, the side that ganged up on him and tried to publically humiliate him. The police officer openly acknowledged how Antonio would have too many of those men against him and he would easily lose. The officer did not even consider that Antonio might be correct in his accusation. Another example of how Italian society functioned was when the Church was very harsh and appeared to care more about their rituals than caring for others in need. Antonio learned from his experience with theft that Italian society was not all he thought it should have been and along with his bicycle, he lost faith in society. He also lost all faith in others. He learned that he could not trust people in general. Even after the bicycle was stolen and Antonio confronted the thief but he pretended not to know what he was talking about. The thief lied and tried to deceive Antonio. The thief proved that he could not be trusted with caused Antonio to lose faith in others. Another symbol in the film is Antonio’s hat. At the end of the film, he looses his hat and it humiliated in public. Bruno ultimately saves his father and by returning his hat, he restores Antonio’s dignity and integrity.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Fides has a great symbolic value that adds to the meaning of the film, not by representing faith in a spiritual or religious sense, but by representing faith in social stability. Rather than translating directly and into "Faith", the Roman meaning of Fides had more to do with the concepts of trust, social integrity, and upstanding behavior. According to csun.edu, the Romans used the word in relation to men in charge of public affairs as well as other social and political relationships. If we apply this definition of Fides to Bicycle Thieves, the symbolic value of the bicycle takes on a whole new meaning. We can think of Antonio's bicycle as an emblem of good faith and the positive social relationship between upstanding commoners. When Antonio walks down the street after retrieving his bicycle from the bustling pawn shop, we clings to it tightly and nods his head to the people passing by as if to say, "here is my property. Respect that it is mine and I will respect your property and dignity in return." Antonio clings to this sense of respecting property with a passion that suggests he secretly distrusts the social integrity of others. He brings his bike in to the office of his employer, carrying the heavy bike on his shoulder just to send the signal that he is a good man that his employer can trust. As he waits for his wife to come back down from the psychic's apartment, he clings to his bike with an air of ambivalence. Finally he leaves the bike under the protection of two kids playing bocce ball. At this point, we see no reason for Antonio's cautious and suspicious attitude towards the "Fides" of Italian society. The moment of irony comes when his bike is stolen. He is working hard at his job, doing a service to society, and here his symbol of trust and mutual respect is stolen from right under his nose. His emblem of social integrity, so precariously held up to that point, is torn down the second Antonio turns his head away. This demonstrates the fragile state of social integrity within society and the fragile state of what appears to be an honor system. This is post WWII Italian society and the general environment is one that lacks a sense of control and authority as the government works to rebuild itself and its infrastructure. While society can sustain itself to some extent without a central authority based on the concept of Fides, the idea of capitalism largely depends on the people being good natured and trustworthy. When the kid steals Antonio's bike, we see that the social system and laws of society, while encouraging good behavior, have no real safeguards against bad behavior. The police are ineffectual in helping Antonio look for his lost bike and the church seems to be a place where commoners go to get free food and pretend to worship god through meaningless rituals. One solution to this unstable state of society that is offered in the film, or at least hinted at, is the concept of communism. In communism, Fides turns from a value that people should have but usually don't, into a way of life that is forced upon everyone equally. Theoretically, in communism, Antonio would never encounter the scenario that he finds in the movie. He would never have reason to be suspicious of others and distrust them in regard to his bike. Additionally, he would never feel so degraded and antagonized by society that he would attempt to antagonize them in return, as he does at the end of the film when trying to steal a bike outside the soccer stadium. All in all, the fact that Antonio's ownership of his bike, his property, is in such a fragile state such that it can be toppled by one meddling kid is symbolic of the fragile state of Fides in a disorganized, capitalistic society.
ReplyDeleteThe brand name of the bicycle “Fides” suggests that there is symbolic value strategically placed throughout the movie. The entire movie centers on faith. While it is Antonio’s fate that his bike was stolen and he cannot find it around the city, it is also centered on Bruno’s faith in believing in his father. From the beginning of movie we see Antonio’s bike being stolen, which represents him loosing his faith. As the storyline progresses, we see Antonio maintain his faith for the majority of the time he searches for his bike, but with each passing hour the situation becomes helpless. In a way, this is where Bruno comes into play and ultimately helps his father persevere and keep up the search for his lost bike. Many other symbols are shown throughout each passing scene in correspondence with the loss of faith. One example could be the loss of faith in Italian society. Antonio looses his faith in society through the numerous unjust events that occur while he is in search of his bike. The scene that stood out to me the most was when Antonio brings the police officer to help him arrest the man who stole his bike, and is instead left in the dust without help because he has no witness and the thief has many more people backing up his lies. Not only does this symbolize Antonio’s faith lost by authoritative figures that are supposed to help, but also by the common citizens around him and throughout Italy. The only moment we see Antonio’s faith being to be restored is after he is caught stealing the bike. This moment of truth comes from Bruno still believing in his dad, at the end when everything has gone wrong, and still holding his hand. This act of compassion symbolizes Antonio’s faith being restored in himself, and society.
ReplyDeleteThe bicycle in Bicycle Thieves is the key to Antonio and his family’s survival and lively hood. If he can perform his job properly and earn his pay he must use a bicycle. Because he has his bicycle he has faith in his future. But when the bike is stolen he cannot perform the job properly and will eventually lose it. When he loses the bike his faith in his future is lost as well. In a way the bicycle is his faith, as when he possesses it his future is secure, but when he doesn’t his future is in peril.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a little ironic how after he loses the bicycle he starts to have faith in things that he didn’t before. He goes to a psychic, church, and a political party meeting all in the belief that they will offer him some help. However prior to the incident, he criticized these institutions and dismissed them as liars and cheats. This shows how in desperate times people will look for help and guidance in anything. Antonio and his situation is a fine example of that.
There are many other symbols within the movie as well. A few of these are the posters of Gilda being hung up by Antonio and the broken down gas station Bruno works at. The gas station shows the state of the economy at the time as it is in such poor condition. Also the fact that a child has to work their shows the desperation of the family to make money.
The bicycle brand "Fides" in the movie represents more than just faith for Antonio. After losing his original bicycle for his job, Antonio is definitely lost, not only physically but mentally. He starts losing hope of supporting his family and being able to live a life he always imagined. As Oliver said in the previous post, Antonio starts gaining faith in things that he didn't even think about associating with before. For example, the psychic that Bruno and Antonio see would never have happened because he criticizes his wife for believing in her. Now that he is mentally lost because he lost his bike, he tries finding anything that might help him find his bike back and regain his true "fides." Antonio loses his true "fides" when his bike was stolen and tries to do anything possible to get his bike back which leads to a more faithful, pleasant life.
ReplyDeleteThe bike represents his life in totality. If he doesn't have his bike, he becomes a poor man not able to support his beloved family. He tries everything he can to get his bike back which is the key not only to his success in the economic stand point but his success in his personal life with his family. The irony of the bike brand being named "fides" is so spot on because without some sort of "fides" in life, no one could survive.