TRA CONTROLLO SOCIALE E GIUSTIZIA: L’ATTO DI MINACCIA IN SCIASCIA
BETWEEN SOCIAL CONTROL AND JUSTICE: THE ACT OF THREAT IN SCIASCIA

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the speech act of threat in Leonardo Sciascia’s novel “Il giorno della Civetta” (“The Day of the Owl”), which takes on two different roles depending on the protagonist. On one hand, it appears as a tool of power and social control, contributing to the maintenance of silence (omertà), reinforcing the hierarchical structure of criminality, and shaping both individual and collective reality. Through strongly performative language, an environment of constant tension is created, characterized by suspense and danger; this is evident in the case of Don Mariano Arena, the mafia representative, whose linguistic ambiguity and euphemism amplify the intimidating effect. On the other hand, the threat functions as an instrument of law and justice in the case of Captain Bellodi, used to obtain cooperation and understand what really happened.In both cases, the threatened person is aware that something terrible could happen, but sometimes does not know exactly what will occur. This uncertainty leaves the threatened individual in a perpetual state of anxiety and apprehension, because this illocutionary act does not merely communicate information, but primarily aims to influence the behavior and emotions of the interlocutor. Our analysis highlights five significant examples of threatening acts in the novel, in their two forms: explicit and implicit.Thus, in “Il giorno della Civetta” (“The Day of the Owl”), the threat demonstrates its performative power and shows how words, within the narrative, become an extremely powerful instrument of authority.

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