ung girl Paola tries to speak to Marcello repeatedly from a distance, but he cannot hear her over the roar of the ocean, and he finally leaves with the group.
Richardson (104) notes that the kind of modern narrative art created by Fellini and T.S. Eliot "has maintained that this is a dry time, a barren and sterile place, and that we lead empty and futile lives." Burke (98) aptly describes La Dolce Vita's focus as being on "the inability of people to transform their lives," noting that "Characters repeatedly, though unwittingly, avoid the challenge of growth by escaping into the purely sensual." The characters try to gain "renewal through love," which is the motivation underlying their rampant sexuality (Burke 99). However, lust can never be satisfied, and their pursuit of the senses never ends; it merely grows increasingly disturbing. Burke (106). Burke (110) analyzes the symbolism in Paola's presence as denoting "the need for transformation from physical existence to spiritual life-and from a life ruled by the law...to a life of liberation through love." She and the dead fish represent Christianity and the hope of renewal, although Marcello does not connect with either (Burke 110). Bond
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