I agree. I am half-Italian, and I know for a fact that Italians were looked down upon during that time. My father's family moved to California after they lived in Boston for a few years. When they moved, they decided to change their last name to something that they thought was more American and definitely not Italian-sounding. My father and his siblings were encouraged to speak only English. There was no Italian community in the town where they lived, so I think this was done so they wouldn't be ostracized. It's actually pretty sad because my father was never able to communicate with his grandmother, who came to live with them a few years later.
I think that Ruth must have somehow met (I think it was Sereno) and perhaps was considering running off with him. It would definitely have been a scandal for her. Based on what I've read, they seemed to live in two completely different worlds. I'm sure her parents would not have approved at all. I'm curious about where and how they met initially. I'd also like to know what happened to Sereno. It sounds like he did not serve a life sentence in prison like Masulla. I also recall reading that Ruth's parents just called off the investigation. I don't remember ever seeing anything about a body.
