La Strada Sparknotes

Federico Fellini’s La Strada is the story of a carefree girl sold to a traveling entertainer, consequently enduring physical and emotional pain along the way. The two travel city-to-city together performing their entertaining acts and making random stops along the way. Zampano is a traveling showman who exhibits feats of strength by breaking a chain wrapped around his chest. He teaches Gelsomina a drum roll as part of his introduction.
They perform in village squares and then pass a hat for whatever the normally small crowd is prepared to give. Performing being their sole income, is vital to their survival and random pleasures, however they seem like they would be able to get by on no money at all. With their random stops usually bringing them some sort of necessity, whether its food, clothes or advice. Therefore their random stops are made out to seem like a part of the journey of life.
He shows off his muscular built and all his money, flirting with her, all for the opportunity of sex. He leaves Gelsomina on the side of the road, “la strada”, to wait for him as he enjoys his night with Rossa. This random stop is the epitome of a man‘s ideal: a meal, wine, and a beautiful woman. Though this short break is entirely too miserable for Gelsomina, forced to wait and get hungry, as he forgets about her she comes to find him instead. This scene is the first of which Zampano abandons Gelsomina, though he promises to return, he doesn’t. It adds to his carefree character, being selfish in his ways and not thinking of the future, only at what’s currently in front of