How It All Goes Down
- Now we're reading "The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings"—his title, not ours.
- Domenico, Dominick's grandfather, is really proud of himself, kind of hates his wife for not bearing sons, thinks his daughter (Dominick's mom) is "homely" (31.2), and really hates monkeys.
- His own mother had a scar from lava, and she married a man named Giacomo and had three sons—Domenico, Pasquale, and Vincenzo.
- One day, a miracle happens: Domenico witnesses a statue of the Virgin Mary crying.
- That can only mean one thing—Domenico has been called to the priesthood—so they send him off to Jesus school, where he excels until his brother, Vincenzo, who is still back home working for his Uncle Nardo, is fired after being caught having sex with the magistrate's daughter. Uncle Nardo holds Giacomo responsible for the money he lost on the job, so Giacomo brings Domenico home to work instead of study.
- Soon after, Mount Etna erupts again, and Domenico's father dies in the mine, making Domenico head of household.
- He takes his duties seriously, working hard and beating his mother just like his father would.
- He decides to move himself and his brothers to America, where his father's cousins, Vitaglio and Lena, live in Brooklyn.
- They set off on a ship, leaving their crazy mother behind, and Domenico hopes that in America his "destiny would be realized" (31.60).