Analysis Of Father Versus Mother By Joaquim Maria Machado

Slavery in Brazil began around 1532 and lasted until the 1800s. After Brazil abolished slavery, African slaves soon gathered in settlements in Rio de Janeiro. Favelas or shantytowns are inside and around large cities in Brazil, and homes are constructed with brick and cement. Due to poverty in the larger populated areas in the favelas, it was easy for a mother to grieve over her dead baby. People usually mourn when someone they love passes away, in Brazil, people no longer grieved over death. As a reader, it is hard to keep a positive attitude towards the acts of mothers. However, it was the circumstances the mothers were living in that caused them to stop grieving over a death.
In a short story, “Father Versus Mother,” by Joaquim Maria Machado …show more content…
Since “Father Versus Mother” is written in the first person, the author has gained the credentials that created an impact on me through his experience shared. It is possible for a written piece in the second person to create an impact on the reader, but there is a much greater impact when written in the first person. I enjoyed the story because it emphasized what life was like for the slaves and for the ordinary citizens. In the short story, Candido considered taking his baby to the wheel of abandoned babies because he did not earn any money from catching runaway slaves and had overdue rent to pay. On his way to the wheel, he noticed a runaway slave and took the opportunity. This scene was very hard to sympathize with because it created a moral decision in this situation. When he caught the young slave, she states, ‘“I’m pregnant, dear master!” she cried. I will be your slave, I will serve you as long as you like. Le’ I go dear young master!...”’ (Machado. Pg. 95). This portrays that slaves have lived as well. Because slaves were seen as nothing other than a person you own. Slave owners cared less about how they treated them, even if they were ill or pregnant. Despite Machado having knowledge of slave treatment, he ended up bringing the runaway slave back to her master because he had no choice. He needed the money to support his …show more content…
Most families living in shantytowns are single mothers. These mothers lived under poor economic conditions with their babies. In the article, it states, “...women are frequently forced into the shadow economy of domestic work in the homes of the rich or into unprotected and oftentimes “scab” wage labor on the surrounding sugar plantations, where they clear land for planting and weed for a pittance, sometimes less than a dollar a day.” (Scheper-Hughes, pg. 324). Single mothers received no support and had to make a living alone to feed the baby in their stomach or the child that is left alone at home while the mother was at work. Mothers had no option but to work for these low wage jobs and to leave their baby at home. Babies were often left alone at home unattended because mothers could not afford babysitters. In addition, a severe drought took place in 1965, and more than 350 babies died. Infants and toddlers were fed simple sugars as a solution to diarrhea and dehydration. However, mothers saw no hope of raising a sick child, so they have put aside and left alone to die. It states, “More than 350 babies died in the Alto during 1965 alone-- this from a shantytown population of little more than 5,000” (Scheper, pg. 324). Mothers in shantytowns were used to the silence of weeping because they have learned to not grow an attachment with their babies so it was easy to