Ion by Liviu Rebreanu
The novel is the species of the epic genre, in prose, of great extent, with a complex and complicated action, developed on several narrative planes, which can be parallel and intersected, with a complicated plot. The numerous and highly individualized characters are aggravating in strong conflicts, the narrative structure is wide and outlines a deep and rich image of life. Published in 1920, after going through the anticipatory phases of "laboratory", entitled "Dowry" and "Shame", "Ion" is a realistic novel in which the objective and omniscient narrator realizes a monographic evocation of the Transylvanian village from the beginning of the century. XXth century.
The realistic-objective vision is achieved through: social themes, truthfulness, sober, impersonal style, building characters in relation to the environment in which they live, choosing typical characters for certain social categories, objectivity of the narrative perspective. Consisting of two parts entitled "The Voice of the Earth" and "The Voice of Love" and comprising thirteen chapters, the novel has a linear action, which takes place chronologically and incorporates a "river of facts that perishes almost without beginning and without end" (E. Lovinescu).
The most important feature of Rebreanu's novels, however, is the openness to modernity. Thus, the analysis of the characters' moods (obsession, anxiety, rebukes of conscience), probing the obscure depths of collective psychology, studying primary instincts, presenting the thoughts of the man facing death, make Rebreanu the founder of the modern Romanian novel.
Also, the aspiration for balance, the monumentality and the tragic endings place Rebreanu's work among the great Romanian prose. Thus, the novel "Ion" has an important place, through the symbolic dimensions of the central character.
On the other hand, the novel was characterized as "the work of an epic poet who solemnly sings about the general conditions of life, birth, marriage, death" (G. Calinescu). Thus, the appearance of the first objective modern novel, "Ion", by Liviu Rebreanu, represents a moment of reference in our literature. From him onwards, the process of modernizing Romanian epic literature begins.
The theme of the novel is the passion for the land of a young peasant and its tragic consequences. The action captures the dehumanization of the protagonist in the chase for wealth. Wanting to get land quickly, Ion seduces Ana and forces Vasile Baciu to accept marriage. A significant scene is the wedding, the ritual capturing several obligatory stages: civil marriage, the religious one, the description of the procession that keeps the traditional order. Ion does not ask for documents for the land that was to belong to him as a dowry, then he feels cheated and beats Ana, the woman being expelled one by one from her husband and father's house. Ana's suicide is another significant scene, as it does not awaken Ion's conscience of guilt, because he saw both in her and in Petrisor, their son, a guarantee on the ownership of the land. The death of the child does not stop him from looking for Florica, who in the meantime had married George. Thus, the outcome is predictable, George, who hits Ion with a hoe, being later arrested, is only an instrument of destiny, Florica remains alone, and Ion's fortune belongs to the church.
