The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas

Bento, Brás Cubas’s father, stands as the Cubas ancestral figure. His fabricated tale about the family’s lineage establishes a fanciful yet historically questionable background. He embellishes the Cubas family history, preferring to weave tales of gallant exploits rather than accept their more modest beginnings. In doing so, he sets a precedent for his family, who go on to share his aspirations for renown, seeking social status, wealth, and power often at the expense of honesty.

Bento indulges his son’s mischievous antics during childhood, often laughing off Brás’s occasionally cruel behaviors without reprimand. Bento’s indulgence is not without consequence. By laughing off Brás’s occasional cruelties, he inadvertently reinforces his son’s self-centered and manipulative tendencies. This permissive approach, coupled with the family’s increasing social standing, fosters in Brás a sense of entitlement and disregard for others. As Brás matures, Bento’s approach shifts, taking a more interventionist stance in pivotal moments. His decisive intervention when Brás becomes entangled with Marcela, as well as his attempts to have his son start a political career, are a testament to his recognition of his irresponsible behavior. He understands the potential harm Marcela and Brás’s lack of vocation poses to the family’s reputation and therefore attempts to redirect his son’s path and instill in him a sense of responsibility.

Sabina, Brás Cubas’s sister, and her husband, Cotrim, are two of the key representatives of The Elite’s Entitlement and Hypocrisy. Sabina intervenes in Brás’s life to safeguard her family’s prestige. She worries about her brother’s reputation, alerting him to the public’s knowledge of his affair with Virgília and urging him to seek a bride instead, orchestrating his connection to Nhã-loló. Her presence serves as a constant reminder of the obligations her brother is expected to fulfill to maintain his social standing. Her interventions, while seemingly caring, are often laced with an underlying motive: to maintain their father’s vision for the family’s position in society. Her warnings against Brás’s involvement with Virgília are motivated less by concern for his feelings than by her fear of a scandal’s impact on their family’s reputation. Similarly, her orchestration of his marriage to Nhã-loló is a calculated move to ensure a socially acceptable union and dissuade him from his affair. Sabina’s own shortcomings are revealed in the dispute over their father’s inheritance, during which she showcases greed similar to her father’s and brother’s.

In contrast to how he interacts with Sabina, Brás actively seeks Cotrim’s counsel on various life decisions, such as marrying Nhã-loló. Cotrim attempts to persuade Brás in other matters, such as accepting the position as Lobo Neves’s secretary. After Bento’s death, he too is engrossed in the family’s disagreement over the inheritance, meddling in how the assets are divided and claiming some for himself. Adding to this, Cotrim’s involvement in the smuggling of enslaved individuals exposes him to criticism even from contemporaries. Brás, however, portrays Cotrim in a different light, choosing to laud his character.

Virgília, Marcela, Eugênia, and Nhã-loló are the women with whom Brás Cubas was romantically involved. Each woman encapsulates different facets of his desires and ambitions and helps to shape the trajectory of his life.

Virgília is the love of Brás’s life, symbolizing his social ambition and passion. Initially, she appears as a strategic pawn in the game of social ascent and political maneuvering. Brás’s father recommends a union with Virgília because marrying her could elevate his political career. Thus, the inception of their relationship is primarily transactional, and it does not spark a strong interest in Brás at first. He only becomes truly interested in Virgília when she marries Lobo Neves. The societal barrier of marriage alters his view, intensifying his desire for her. The unattainable becomes more desirable, prompting him to see her in a different light.

This forbidden love becomes a central conflict in the novel. As their extramarital affair progresses, their attitudes diverge. Brás, amused by the whispers and comments of their involvement, is less concerned about public perception than Virgília. Conversely, Virgília is acutely aware of the potential fallout, fearing her husband’s reaction and the tarnishing of her reputation. However, despite Brás’s disregard and his, at times, jealous and controlling demeanor, he admits to having a deep affection for Virgília, longing to be with her, and deeming her a refuge, someone he relies on when he needs to “rest away from all unpleasant feelings, those that [are] merely annoying or those that [are] even painful” (99). Virgília’s pregnancy excites Brás, but after her miscarriage and her husband’s appointment as provincial president, she leaves the city, ending their affair. Despite her husband’s death a few years later, the former lovers do not reignite their involvement and only meet again shortly before Brás’s death.

Marcela, on the other hand, represents a contrasting dynamic in Brás’s life. Her relationship with him is purely transactional. Their “love” is intertwined with financial dependence. Marcela embodies the reality check amidst Brás’s romantic illusions, exposing the superficiality of love when material interests become dominant. Her character showcases the pragmatic aspects of relationships devoid of emotional depth.

Eugênia is a woman Brás meets after his mother’s death. She encounters a cruel dismissal from Brás due to her physical disability. Brás cannot reconcile her disability with her attractiveness, considering them incompatible. He dedicates a chapter to justifying why he led her on without intending to marry her, which he claims was simply natural. In reality, his actions stem from his egotistic desire for temporary gratification, devoid of any consideration for Eugênia’s feelings.

Nhã-loló, Cotrim’s niece, is the only woman Brás considers courting after ending his affair with Virgília. However, long before parting ways with Virgília, he already showed interest in Nhã-loló’s beauty. His initial interest in their union, however, did not stem from genuine affection but from a calculated desire to maintain social status and secure a respectable marriage. He masks this intent by portraying it as a noble act to elevate Nhã-loló’s social position by marrying her. Her sudden death of yellow fever fails to evoke a significant emotional response from him, and he confesses a lack of love for her afterward. Brás’s reaction and the poor attendance at Nhã-loló’s funeral reveal the Macabre Irony of Mortality: Nhã-loló’s death exposes the hypocrisy and shallowness of the people who claimed to care for her.