Gender

            How gender is presented in Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis’s “The Rod of Justice” differs greatly from many of the nineteenth-century literature. While the female characters from the works of Rabindranath Tagore and Higuchi Ichiyo still battle with the injustice imposed on women in patriarchal cultures, Machado’s Sinha Rita is powerful and possess the power to control in front of men.

            What enables Sinha Rita to have such power which rivals that of men is her financial independence: “Sinha Rita made her living, for the most part, by teaching lacemaking, drawn work, and embroidery” (Machado 912). Her financial independence makes her threat to leave Joao Carneiro plausible as she can make a living on her own. Another thing that grants Sinha Rita power over men is her being in a relationship with them. It is obvious that Sinha Rita is willing to help Damioa not because she is kind and generous, but because she enjoys controlling and manipulating her man, and, most importantly, proving her power over the man whom she is in a relationship with. She never reasons with Joao Carneiro but only pushes him to comply by speaking in a commanding tone and threatening to end the relationship. Damiao is also forced to yield to her when she commands him to hand over the rod to her so that she can beat Lucretia with it. Damiao blames himself for Lucretia’s delay and wants to protect her, but considering that Sinha Rita is the only one who can possibly save him from the plight he is in, he chooses to comply despite his conscience. Sinha Rita is eager to establish her authority over the people around her, and the most convenient and effective way to do so is to utilize her relationships with others.

Works Cited

Higuchi, Ichiyo. “Separate Ways.” Trans. Robert Lyons Danly. 1650 to the Present. Ed. Peter Simon. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 973-979. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Martin Puchner, gen. ed. 2 vols.

Machado de Assis, Joaquim Maria. “The Rod of Justice.” Trans. Helen Caldwell. 1650 to the Present. Ed. Peter Simon. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 911-916. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Martin Puchner, gen. ed. 2 vols.

Tagore, Rabindranath. “Punishment.” Trans. William Radice. 1650 to the Present. Ed. Peter Simon. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 964-970. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Martin Puchner, gen. ed. 2 vols.