The concept of religion as an obligation becomes obvious through the depiction of Bento and Dona Glória’s numerous attempts to avoid making Bento a priest. Dona Glória reluctantly sends away her son to the seminary out of fear for God rather than of genuine devotion. Religion as a burden is also evident in Chronicle of A Death Foretold in which the townspeople honour the much disliked bishop solely out of respect to God. The bishop, on the other hand, sends obligatory blessing without evincing a speck of inspiration as he makes the sign of cross “mechanically” and “without malice or inspiration” (19). The townspeople greet the bishop in an overwhelming manner, creating a strong contrast against the neglectful attitude of the bishop:
But the Bishop didn't stop… and then the band of musicians started to play the bishop’s anthem, and the cocks began to crow in their baskets and aroused all the other roosters in town. (18) g
By staying on the boat, the bishop creates a physical distance that further advocates the barrier between the people and the Church, and ultimately affects their religious devotions. These actions of the bishop do not earn him respect as a person but only as an empty shell of authority, another defect in the practical result of religious doctrines. Hence Plácida Linero refers to him as “the son of the worst kind of mother” (127).
Religion also becomes less a symbol of ultimate priority and spirituality amongst the younger generation. García Márquez discusses this notion using Santiago Nasar. Santiago engages religion with entertainment rather than an inscrutable symbol of spiritual life: “…church pomp had an irresistible fascination for him. “It’s like the movies,” he told me once” (7). He dresses in his best suits and receives the bishop with enthusiasm because he associates religion with entertainment, stripping religion of its sacred spirituality. Even though the bishop disappoints Santiago by staying on the boat, it is only a passing annoyance to Santiago. Therefore his actions demean and minimize the originally awesome religion.
In Dom Casmurro, religion’s far less pervasive presence in Bento’s generation in comparison to that of Dona Glória’s is apparent in the objectification of Father Cabral by Bento and Capitu. The youngsters use the profound influence Cabral as a religious representative on Dona Glória to avoid the seminary: “May be Dona Glória will change her mind; if she doesn’t, we’ll do something else – we’ll use Father Cabral” (39). On the other hand, Bento demeans Father Cabral when he is against Bento’s will, saying “nasty, harsh things about him” after Father Cabral supported Dona Glória’s resolve (72). The depiction of Bento’s inconsistency in his devotion further criticizes the less pious souls in society of Machado de Assis’s time. He imagines himself ordained in front of Capitu to make her jealous, yet he claims to have a instinctive knowledge that he has no vocation: “I can’t be a priest; It’s a fine profession; but it’s not for me” (49). Bento’s insincerity and inconsistency in his devotion are realistic reflections of the failure of religion to maintain its supremacy amongst society, where the manipulation of authority dominates the practical result of religion.
The two priests in each novel are significant representatives of the Church. Machado de Assis uses defects of Father Cabral to allegorize certain corrupted natures of the Church, while García Márquez comments on the failure of the Church to influence the community positively through the actions of Father Amador. Though portrayed as a harmless man with good qualities, Father Cabral possesses an air of vanity, a realistic reflection of the Church. This is manifested in the case when Cabral is named Protonotary Apostolic:
Cabral listened to the repetition of the title with pleasure. He would stop and then take a few steps, smiling or drumming his fingers on this snuffbox. f
He takes much pride in the title with magnified significance, reminding everyone of his glory in subtle ways: “For everyday use, protonotary is sufficient.” Meanwhile, Bento’s family is prompt to applaud Cabral with the same magnified adoration. This is a criticism of the inundating glorification the Church receives from the community. The Church’s association with lavishness is also apparent in Father Cabral’s likes for fine food. He is “fond of good quality, choice dishes” therefore pepper “everything he said with ‘Protonotary Santiago’” to intimate that he wants to stay for dinner at Bento’s house (70). Father Cabral’s main motive in supporting Bento’s entrance to the seminary is that it’ll look good for Cabral. These instances pinpoint that Cabral, as well as the Church in a greater context, is reliant upon the wealthy families to satisfy their love for luxury and elaborateness.
García Márquez delineates Father Amador in Chronicle of A Death Foretold as an irresponsible Father who’s not too worldly. Father Amador does nothing to stop the murder because he claims to have forgotten to mention anything to Plácida Linero (81). But one can not help but wonder how can he have forgotten such important matters between life and death:
The truth is I didn’t know what to do…My first thought was that it wasn’t any business of mine but something for the civil authorities…(80) d
As shown in the above quotation, Father Amador isn’t sure of what position he should assume. Religion in its ideal form should act as a guidance to shape morality the community, but the Father as the highest religious authority in the town fails to stop the murder of Santiago Nasar. The author uses the withdrawal of Father Amador from preventing the murder of Santiago to mirror the Church’s failure to uphold high moral standards and use their authority effectively and seriously.
Through the subtle and detailed portrayals of the characters in the novels Chronicle of A Death Foretold and Dom Casmurro shed a criticizing light on the hypocritical Church present in the community. Bento’s repulsion to be religiously devoted bluntly reveals the blemishes in the practical result of religion hidden underneath seemingly deep devotion. The tragedy of Santiago Nasar explores the other defects of religion, one that is present in the Church itself, and how failure to uphold moral standards in Church upsets the community. Of course the authors do not write solely to condemn religion, they also bring forth the concept that people must adjust their attitudes toward religion and then irrational, old values set by the past Church.
Word Count: 1300
