Chapter 2, My Father's Death Summary

Zeno speaks casually of his mother's death when he was fifteen and yet considers his father's death to be one of the most important moments in his life. Zeno is always trying to win his serious father over with laughter, to no avail. At one point, Silva wonders if his son's antics point to mental illness. As a prank, Zeno visits a doctor and undergoes a barrage of physical and mental tests, so that he emerges with a sealed, stamped certificate pronouncing him to be of sound mind and body. When Zeno proudly shows this certificate to Silva, assuming his father will burst into laughter at the joke, Silva is disappointed and concludes that anyone who would go to such trouble and trust the doctors, really must be crazy.

Worrying that Zeno is not capable of taking...