Deception and the destruction of purity in Italian Purity in the Gothic genre can be perceived from many points of view. It involves sex, beauty, perception and position of people in society. “The Italian” has many characters who exhibit one or more of these traits. In this article we will explore how Ann Radcliffe uses purity, deception and the destruction of it to enhance her character's role in the gothic genre." The sweetness and beautiful expression of her voice drew his attention to her figure , who had a distinguished air. of delicacy and grace; but her face was hidden in the veil (page 5)" From the beginning of the book, Radcliffe lets us know that beauty and attraction will play an intricate role in the development of history. But it also lets us know that it won't be an open perception, it hints at an element of intrigue combined with the role the person plays within society. Throughout the entire book we discover that Vivaldi is obsessed with Ellena's beauty. Ellena appears so perfect and pure that Vivaldi cannot help but fall in love with her. Here, sex and beauty end up being instigators of deception and destruction. As Vivaldi tries to get closer to Ellena, she seems to retreat further and further into hiding. This creates an air of intrigue that makes Ellena more than irresistible to Vivaldi. This curiosity and intrigue that perplexes Vivaldi becomes even greater when he meets a mysterious monk on the way to Ellena's house. The monk warns Vivladi that he must stop his search for Ellena and then mysteriously disappears. So Vivaldi's intrigue, which ends up being so deceptive and destructive, now exists on two levels with Ellena and the mon... middle of paper... as deceptive and destructive as they come. First, he held Ellena captive for trivial reasons. Two, he tried to force Ellena to take vows as a nun. I also believed that Olivia was deceitful, deceiving the abbess and helping Ellena escape. So you see, you can't always trust society's stereotypes, because even the most hypocritical and respectable people can be masters of the art of deception and destruction of what is right, good and pure. All five elements of purity in the Gothic genre have been deceived and destroyed in more ways than one. So whatever idea of ​​purity you had before reading Ann Radcliffe's "The Italian" is now completely altered and set in an entirely different genre. Don't always believe what you hear or see because you never know what deceptive or destructive element might be lurking around the corner.