How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
If there is any truth in it—and clearly the story is true even though invented—let everyone see it reflected in himself for we are all one and the same person, and he who is not poor in terms of money is poor in spirit or feeling for he lacks something more precious than gold—for there are those who do not possess that essential essence. (1.5)
Poor little rich girls. It seems like the narrator is suggesting that those who have money lack something much more important than money—something that has to do with inner life and spirit. By contrast, Macabéa, who has very little money, does possess an inner life and grace.
Quote #2
There are thousands of girls like this girl from the North-east to be found in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, living in bedsitters or toiling behind counters for all they are worth. They aren't even aware of the fact that they are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence. (1.13)
Macabéa serves, in some ways, as a representative of this greater population of young, poor women struggling to survive in cities of Brazil. Rodrigo sounds harsh and bitter, but we have to ask: is there some part of him that agrees?
Quote #3
Why should I write about a young girl whose poverty is so evident? Perhaps because within her there is seclusion. Also because in her poverty of body and soul one touches sanctity and I long to feel the breath of life hereafter. (2.39)
Our narrator seems to want to achieve something of the same kind of grace that Macabéa does, and maybe he thinks that she, and her poverty, are keys to obtaining it. Somehow, this seems a little unfair to Macabéa—like maybe he's even exploiting her a little.
Quote #4
At least the girl didn't have to beg for food. (There were others who were even more abandoned and starving.) (3.67)
You think Macabéa's bad off? Imagine what it's like for the people who don't even have the crummy job that she has. Hey, she can't really be poor—she even gets to paint her nails once in a while.
Quote #5
Sometimes before falling asleep she felt the pangs of hunger and became quite giddy as she visualized a side of beef. The solution was to chew paper into pulp and swallow it. Honestly! (3.74)
Check out that "honestly!" It's like the narrator expects us not to believe that someone could be so poor. We only wish he were kidding.
Quote #6
Macabéa only had to smell raw meat in order to convince herself that she had eaten. (4.225)
The narrator is really piling it on here: first Macabéa's chewing paper, and then she's actually sniffing raw meat, which, if you've ever taken a whiff, smells almost exactly unlike a nice juicy piece of steak. But if this is the kind of hunger that people like Macabéa experience, then it's no wonder that Olímpico wants to be a butcher.
Quote #7
Oh, if only I could seize Macabéa, giver her a good scrubbing and a plate of hot soup, kiss her on the forehead and tuck her up in bed. So that she might wake up to discover the great luxury of living. (4.275)
This paternal image of the narrator taking care of Macabéa is particularly depressing when you consider that literally no one has ever does something like this for her. Her poverty isn't just physical; it's also emotional.
Quote #8
She even summoned enough courage to ask her aunt to buy her some cod liver oil. (Already addicted to advertisements, she had read about cod liver oil.) Her aunt rebuked her: Who do you think you are, some rich man's daughter, accustomed to luxuries? (4.289)
We hate to say it, but her aunt has a point here: Macabéa is not rich and cod liver oil, which Macabéa thinks will fatten her up, is a luxury. Other luxuries: spaghetti, chocolates, and, well, anything but those stupid hotdogs and cokes.
Quote #9
On the following day, which was a Monday, perhaps because the chocolate had affected her liver or because of her nervousness about drinking something intended for the rich, Macabéa felt unwell. (4.325)
Sure, Macabéa's stomach isn't accustomed to drinking rich beverages like hot chocolate. But what's really sad is that she feels like she just doesn't deserve these foods. And all over a cup of hot chocolate. (You have to hope that it at least wasn't from a mix.)
Quote #10
She accepted a loan from Glória without having the faintest idea when she would be able to pay her back. This bold decision surprisingly encouraged her to make an even bolder decision (bang): since the money was on loan, she reasoned somewhat perversely, and was not strictly hers, then she was free to spend it. (5.367)
Oh, hey, look, it's the big problem of credit: it's easy to spend money if you feel like it's not really yours. She really goes all out with this loan, too, treating herself to a taxi ride, a visit to a fortuneteller, and—bang—a sudden and tragic death. Maybe she should have turned down that loan, after all.