Motif investigation in Dom Casmurro
IB English A1 HL II Dom Casmurro Motif Essay 7 October 2009 The Irrationality of Emotions In the novel Dom Casmurro, Machado establishes Bento's unwavering obsession for Capitu stemming from his possessiveness of her and curiosity over her thoughts. Through visual imagery, warily tone, and symbolism, Machado portrays Bento's incrementing jealousy caused by irrational thinking, ultimately conveying that constant emotional thinking leads to an arduous life. Machado's visual imagery portrays Bentinho's emotional chaos inducing him to unreasonable conclusions. Upon being unable to prevent his departure to the Seminary, sorrow overran Bentinho due to his loss of Capitu. On the other hand Bento becomes outraged at Jose Dias' claims that "[Capitu] was happy while he cried every night" (117). The contrast between the emotions of the lovers leads Bentinho to believe something is out of place, leading him to infer that "it was because she was already flirting with someone else" (118). Considering the idea came from an assumption insinuated by Jose Dias, Bentinho realizes that "there might be some exaggeration" (117). However, Bentinho's emotional distress triggers his jealousy along with "a violent beating of the heart" (117). The visual imagery illustrated by the beating of the heart, portrays a Bento no longer thinking rationally but rather emotionally leading him to
Dom Casmurro Creativity
Creative Character Study - #1, Sancha Ivan Liu Buium:D 871: The Incident I was standing in the kitchen in my home, near a window that gave me a view of the beach and the sea. Tonight we were having guests over; it was sister Capitu, Bento, Jose Dias and Cousin Justina. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon and my husband had gone out for a swim in the cool ocean waters. I was preparing dinner when I saw two people walk onto the beach. It was quite a distance away so all I could see was a rough outline of their bodies, legs, arms, and head. It was a woman with long dark hair, and the other was a tall man. The sun's beams that reflected off their faces made them radiate light like a pair of angels. In the background I heard the ocean tide, swishing and swashing as the tide came in and out. I kept looking at the woman and the man for it was more interesting than cutting pepper and preparing the meal at home. Besides, it wasn't difficult to multitask. As the woman and the man walked closer towards me, I was slowly starting to recognize the form of the man who had big strong arms and a tall figure. And at the woman, in fact, when I looked more closely, the woman looked more and more like someone I know - why, it was Capitu! Then was that Bento? I know the body of Bento and he is smaller, and shorter. It couldn't have been him. Who is it? I could not see very clearly
Themes in Dom Casmurro
English A1 HL Commentary Don Casmurro 8 September 2009 An Insight into Bento's Personality In the chapter "A Thousand Paternosters and a Thousand Ave Marias" of Don Casmurro, Machado de Assis articulates Bento's superficial comprehension of religion. Machado characterizes the narrator's arrogance through Bento's constant association of God with money and his belief in an equal relationship with God. The author further emphasizes the narrator's inner struggle through the multiple justifications given for praying. Evidently, Machado uses monetary imagery to ironically communicate the narrator's thoughts towards the church, reflecting his own corrupt views. Furthermore, the different explanations for praying given by Bento lead to a juxtaposition of ideas, underlining the inner conflict within Bento. From the beginning of the excerpt Machado establishes Bento's arrogant tone by highlighting his greater feelings for himself than for God. In the opening lines the narrator "raises [his] eyes to the heavens," not minding that the heavens were, "getting overcast," because he was thinking of another heaven (41). The visual imagery presents the irony since even as Santiago attempts to see God he can't. The overcast symbolizes the fogginess of his ideas preventing him from truly embodying the concept of religion. Consequently, by the end of the chapter, Santiago does not make a
Doors and Windows as Symbols of Character Thoughts and Relationships in Dom Casmurro and Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Doors and Windows as Symbols of Character Thoughts and Relationships in Dom Casmurro and Chronicle of a Death Foretold Often, a person's home is a physical representation of his or her psyche. The implication of this is that the characters of a novel are involved in a symbolic relationship with their dwellings. More specifically, the symbolic meanings of the doors and windows in that character's home provide a conduit into a character's intentions or thoughts. As said in Dom Casmurro by Bentinho Santiago "Our souls, as you know, are laid out like houses, often with windows on every side" (107). The literary material gathered through looking specifically at these aspects of a novel can then be used to strengthen the reader's perceptions of unspoken character relationships. Throughout this paper I will compare how the authors Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis and Gabriel García Márquez use certain doors and windows as a subtle and condensed form of symbolizing and revealing character relationships in their novels Dom Casmurro and Chronicle of a Death Foretold respectively. The passages in which doors and windows are mentioned in a significant way are few in number but we can see major themes of the novel compacted into just a few passages. The smallest gestures towards doors and windows on the part of any character can influence a reader's perceptions of the story in
Criticism of Religion in Latin American Fictions - Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, and Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garca Mrquez.
Student Number: 91624 Criticism of Religion in Latin American Fictions Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez Religion is supremacy, perfection and spirituality. A typical Latin American religious community heavily relies on religion to provide a moral framework to guide and protect its citizens. However, projecting religion in the light of perfection is superficial. In actuality, it often contains flaws underneath its idealistic teachings. The inadequacy in maintaining the idealistic doctrines is deeply rooted in society. Such notion is reflected and commented upon in the novels Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis and Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez. In both novels, the authors effectively criticize religion through their satiric portrayal of religious authorities and other characters' attitudes towards religion. The two novels reveal the practical result of religion in a critical light. The ideal doctrine of religion adjusts itself to the imperfect world in ways that some times do not command respect. The actual practice of the doctrine allows flexibility, which is often abused. In Dom Casmurro, Bento and José Dias imagine that a journey to see the Pope will undo Dona Glória's promise to God. Eventually they settle the matter much more conveniently by
I will examine how narrators in Dom Casmurro and Pedro Pramo use the sense of touch to reveal their inner motivations and feelings about a situation or character.
In novels as sensual as Pedro Páramo and Dom Casmurro, it is not surprising that the authors employ a variety of literary techniques and imagery. Amongst them, not as prominent as the sense of hearing but still salient, is the sense of touch. I will examine how narrators in Dom Casmurro and Pedro Páramo use the sense of touch to reveal their inner motivations and feelings about a situation or character. Touch can symbolize relationships. When two characters touch shoulders in Pedro Páramo, for example, this seems to show siblinghood. Juan and Abundio walk "side by side, so close [their] shoulders [are] nearly touching" (5). Juan and Abundio turn out to be half brothers. They share a father and are nearly brothers, just as their shoulders nearly touch, but their different mothers create both a genetic and physical gap between them. Later in the story, Donis's sister "[goes] to stand beside him, leaning against his shoulder" (53). Their shoulders do not merely touch, which would confirm that they are siblings; she leans against Donis, suggesting their relationship extends beyond a familial one. Although this has already been strongly implied, Donis's sister leans against Donis before asking Juan whether he truly understands the relationship between her and Donis. Rulfo has already revealed that they are incestuous, but the action coupled with her question shows that neither
The Subliminal Role of the Church
The Role of Catholicism in Dom Casmurro, Pedro Paramo, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold Catholicism flourished in Latin America as a religion and as part of everyday Latin American culture and life; this aspect is reflected in Juan Rulfo's Pedro Paramo, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis' Dom Casmurro, as well as in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Catholicism does not play a central role in these novels but serves as a subliminal factor in the plot or as a feature of a subplot. In Dom Casmurro, Catholicism serves as a central motif in the first part of the novel and also serves to create a conflict between love and religion. In Pedro Paramo, the incapability and hypocrisy of religion is hinted at through the character of Father Renteria. The Catholic ideas of heaven and purgatory also parallel the setting of Comala as a town "at the very mouth of Hell" (Rulfo, 6). Meanwhile, in Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Catholicism is used as a device of irony, where the arrival of the bishop which usually signals new life is instead a portent of Santiago Nessar's eminent death. The unifying element in all three novels is the use of Catholicism as a device of irony, where the associations made with Catholicism of purity, life, justice, and salvation, are inverted to represent death, submission to temptations, and inability to act in a moral manner. In both
World Literature Final Draft
In both Machado de Assis's novel Dom Casmurro and García Márquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the main characters, Bentinho or "Bento" Santiago and Santiago Nasar, are presented to us without a proper paternal figure in their lives. This, in consequence, emphasizes the importance of motherhood in the society of these two novels and through various literary techniques and imagery, the authors are able to evoke awareness of this theme to the reader. In this essay, I will examine mother-son relationships and show how mothers shape their sons' character through their actions. Through character details, mother-son relationships are evident in Dom Casmurro and Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Dona Glória is presented through the eyes of her son, Bento, as a "lovely woman" (16). Although there is no clear description of the father, there are brief glimpses into his character through details such as: "... the portrait shows a round pair of eyes, which follow [Bento] everywhere, an effect of the painting that frightened [him] as a child" (16). From Bento's brief portrayal of his parents, it is shown that the mother played a grander role in taking care of him when he was still a child. Machado de Assis makes use of pathetic fallacy by describing Bento's father as an inanimate object with human characteristics and this accentuates the disjunct relationship between the narrator and
The passage upon which is the center of discussion is taken from Act one, scene one of Molière's theatrical 17th century comedy Dom Juan.
French Drama Commentary Melissa Chima Introduction The passage upon which is the center of discussion is taken from Act one, scene one of Molière's theatrical 17th century comedy Dom Juan. In this scene we are introduced to Sganarelle who is a servant to main Character Dom Juan, and we see chauffeur of Done Elvire, Gusman on this sole occasion. The character of Dom Juan however is not presented to the audience until the next scene-this is the only scene in which he and Sganarelle are not seen simultaneously. The play commences with a discussion between these two characters concerning Dom Juan. This entails Sganarelle in discussion to Gusman on the subject of Don Juan and his marrying Done Elvire, Dom Juan's most recent seduction, due to Gusman's confusion as to why Don Juan has abandoned her. This is a significant scene as it gives a characterization of the two main characters at the start of the play. Sganarelle describes Dom Juan whilst also representing his contradictory character to the audience. The audience is almost warned of Don Juan before he is able to appear on stage, dramatizing his entry. It is Sganarelles final speech which accomplishes this, and therefore merits a closer examination in a stylistic respect. The passage has a particular theme. It functions in order to portray both the subject of the discussion and the speaker. The tone is somewhat serious
Images of Birds as Symbols of Character Traits and Struggles
Images of Birds as Symbols of Character Traits and Struggles In addition to their importance in dreams, birds are significant to literature in a myriad of ways. As a common symbol in dreams, they sometimes appear soaring high in the sky, sometimes trapped in a cage. Birds in flight symbolize liberation, while caged birds represent suffering and the strong desire for freedom. The literary material gathered through examining bird imagery in the novels Dom Casmurro and Chronicle of a Death Foretold is critical in strengthening the reader's understanding of characters' inner struggles. Throughout this paper I will compare how the authors Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis and Gabriel García Márquez use different images of birds to unveil the characters' aspirations for freedom, embody their struggles to break free from encagement and identify important character traits. García Márquez and Machado de Assis both use extensive bird imagery to portray certain traits in their characters, and Bayardo San Román is no exception. An aristocrat like him is commonly associated with predatory birds such as falcons and hawks due to their aggressive hunting tendencies. In this sense, Bayardo San Román is very much like a falcon hot in pursuit of its prey, a notion first introduced in the novel's epigraph "The pursuit of love is like falconry" (1). A falcon is tamed for sport, and the
