O ESPELHO (MACHADO DE ASSIS, 1882) IN THE METAFICTION DOM CASMURRO (1900) –

CAPITU’S MASKS AND BENTO SANTIAGO’S INSECURITY

Abstract

This article consists of an effort to first think about the metafictional society of imperial Rio de Janeiro in the second half of the nineteenth century, represented by Machado de Assis, so it is possible to elaborate hypotheses about how a man and a woman should interact socially to achieve social success. Once this effort has been made, the social masks can be viewed and examined. Using the metaphor of the eyes as a mirror of the soul, the philosophy contained in the tale O espelho (1882) by Machado de Assis and rambling on the beauty and complexity of palindromes and on the troxler effect problem, a provocation is made about what Bento Santiago saw in Capitu’s eyes. Had he seen a real feeling reflected in Capitu’s eyes, obtaining a justifiable doubt? Would it be reasonable to have doubts about the paternity of his alleged son according to the physical and psychic similarity he had with the late Escobar?