giraffe

Mauro Senesi constructs “The Giraffe” to symbolize and represent a new idea that is being introduced into a closed environment. “It must have seen over the houses the clotted red of the roofs and the horizon, who knows how far” (p. 233). When the giraffe extends its neck to see the town, it not only can observe what other people cannot, but also have a perspective of the unknown. The giraffe perceives the surrounding different than what villagers are accustom because it once lived a different life and have awareness of what is unexpected to the town. It knows certain knowledge that is new and different which results in amazement and wonder at first. However, throughout the story, people have no desire to change their current status quo and start to push away the giraffe out of their life. “But there must have been other reasons too for the hatred of the people: like the defense of an equilibrium, of a reality that we wanted to subvert with our giraffe” (p. 235). As the new idea comes forth, changes must happen in order to fully accept and embrace it. But in the story, Senesi purposely put a bizarre concept right in the middle of an unreceptive group that develops denunciation towards it. In contrast, only the “boys” can accept the change and are willing to sacrifice their everyday life to support it. But they are merely children who do not have authority or status to sustain it. Consequently, the giraffe fades away along with its new perspective, “Our giraffe has died by itself, boys … because there is room only for the things that are already here” (p. 236). New ideas, just like nature, will fade away and die out if not being nurtured or developed. The giraffe has already matured and taken shape, but being shunned and spurned, it will meet its ultimate doom at the end. The giraffe’s fate strongly suggests the author’s pessimistic view of introducing a fresh concept into a tight-knit society. Senesi opens our minds to a lesson that can be seen in history many times: when rejecting a different outlook, advancement of human civilization will be stalled or static.