Drioli's Black Coat

Drioli’s coat represents his introversion. When Drioli is walking through the street, he wraps himself in his coat “like a hedgehog” (517). This portrays Drioli as aggressive and defensive against the public. Drilling walking through the street with this demeanor shows that he is prepared to confront anybody who approaches him. Since this scene occurs at the beginning of the story, the symbolism of the coat is an effective way for Dahl to establish the nature of Drioli’s character.

Drioli's Back Tattoo

Drioli’s back tattoo represents his devotion to art and to his wife. Tattoos represent permanence, so the fact that Drioli allows Soutine to tattoo him shows that Drioli is entirely committed to Soutine’s art. This is evident because tattooing is a form of art. Moreover, the subject of the tattoo is Drioli’s wife, Josie, which highlights Drioli’s...