Content Warning: This section of the guide describes and discusses the novel’s depiction of ableism and enslavement.

“I am not exactly a writer who is dead but a dead man who is a writer, for whom the grave was a second cradle.”

This quote encapsulates the paradoxical nature of the narrator’s existence, merging death and authorship. The inversion of identity, stating he is a “dead man who is a writer,” highlights a profound irony, suggesting that death serves as a rebirth into a literary realm. The metaphorical usage of the grave as a birthplace sets the stage for exploring The Macabre Irony of Mortality.

“I had a passion for ballyhoo, the limelight, fireworks. More modest people will censure me perhaps for this defect. I’m confident, however, that clever people will recognize this talent of mine.”

Brás Cubas showcases his unabashed desire for attention and recognition as well as his self-centered nature. Machado de Assis employs vivid imagery to portray Brás’s craving for grandeur and spectacle in life. His perception of this craving as a “talent” reveals his delusion and arrogance, showcasing his disconnect from reality and highlighting the theme of The Elite’s Entitlement and Hypocrisy.

“‘Call me Nature or Pandora. I am your mother and your enemy.’ […]

‘You Nature? The Nature I know is only mother and not enemy. She doesn’t make life a torment, nor does she, like you, carry a face that’s as indifferent as the tomb. And why Pandora?’

‘Because I carry good and evil in my bag and the greatest thing of all, hope, the consolation of mankind.’”

Through the personification of life in the figure of Nature/Pandora, the author weaves elements of allegory and symbolism to underscore the complexities of human existence. The figure’s self-identification reflects a duality inherent in life, encapsulating both nurturing aspects and the inevitability of its end.