BLOG PROMPT •Gender is a major component of the
relationships in “The Rod of Justice.”
Explore how gender relates to power in the story.
There is a level of complexity in the way
that gender inequities are portrayed in Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, “The
Rod of Justice.” “Machado…had a longstanding fascination with questions of
authority and control” (911). The story centers on the main character Damiao who,
seeking escape from his seminary obligations, requests the aide of his
godfather’s mistress, Sinha Rita to wield her sexual powers over his godfather
in efforts to support his escape. The complexity of Sinha Rita’s gender defined
role is that she is portrayed as having a certain amount of power within the
story. She is independent, she wields a sexual power over Joao Carneiro, and
she has the power to change the course of action for Damiao. However, upon
deeper reading Sinha Rita’s power is only surface level because she is limited
by gender inequities and her gender defined role within a patriarchal society.
The story immediately defines Damiao as
the key manipulator of Sinha Rita’s power. He is aware of the sexual power she wields
over his godfather and sets out to use this power to his advantage. Sinha Rita is
manipulated into action by Damiao’s thought out challenge to this power she wields,
“My godfather He’s even worse than papa, he doesn’t pay any attention to what I
say, I don’t believe he’d pay attention to anyone…” “No?” interrupted Sinha
Rita, her pride pricked. “Well, I’ll show him whether he’ll pay attention or
not…” (913). The power Sinha Rita does wield over Joao Carnerio is defined by
sexuality limiting the function of female gendered power to a form of
manipulation. Machado also skillfully brings into question Sinha Rita’s existence
as an independent business woman because she is a slave owner who teaches
slaves the art of “lacemaking.” Her reliance on the instability of these
societal power structures highlights the lack of independence Sinha Rita has
because she has a dependency upon an unjust and unstable social system. Sinha
Rita wields a violent and unforgiving power over the young slave girls. Machado
portrays Sinha Rita in this way to highlight that her adherence to the
oppressive societal system of slavery is also her acceptance of her own
oppression. The power she wields over the slave girls contributes to the inequities
of the societal systems that enforce her own gender defined limitations. Even
during the end of the story Sinha Rita’s power is limited. Sinha Rita demands
that Damiao hands her a rod so that she can hit a poor slave girl. Throughout
the story the reader is privy to Damiao’s disapproval of Sinha Rita’s violent
power over the slave girls. Damiao even makes the promise to himself that he
will protect one of the young girls however, when his own freedom is challenged
he quickly ignores past moral certitudes despite the young slave girl’s pleas
for help. With this action Machado defines Sinha Rita’s power as a temptress.
She becomes the moral downfall of Daimio’s virtuous character. Machado
highlights that gender defined roles that limit the female to roles of seductress,
and sin filled blame, really remove male ownership of wrongdoing as well as
ownership of the creation of societal instability.
In “The Rod of Justice” Machado offers a
look into gender based social inequities that tie into the oppressive systems
of slavery. What is revealed is that Sinha Rita’s power is but a lie, and the
real power is both wielded and ultimately defined by an oppressive male-centric
society, “Machado, more than any of his contemporaries, set out to expose the
attitudes and the lies that sustained this lopsided society” (911).
Works Cited
"Joaquim
Maria Machado de Assis." 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter
3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 910-911. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.
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