Portuguese Literature Analysis: The Mandarin and the Yellow Sofa - Essay Example

The moral implications that are associated with the characters in “The Mandarin” and the “Yellow Sofa” are based on the circumstances surroundingthe characters and how they believe they should respond to this. This changes the beliefs and perspectives of the character and also creates the main realization among the characters. When looking at the attributes of both characters, it can be seen that the change comes from the interactions with others as well as the internal beliefs that are associated with the actions. If the character acts in a way that doesn’t seem correct, then actions are taken to rectify the situation and to take back the actions, specifically because they are considered wrong, or immoral. The set of actions in “The Mandarin” show the changes through the narrator of the story and how he responds to given situations. While in Europe, the narrator finds out about the mandarin and that it can make a person rich. He travels to China and rings a bell and as a response is able to receive the wealth desired. However, he is also brought to believe that this was in turn for killing a man and taking away his wealth for his own desires. The struggle which the narrator goes through is then based on finding a way to justify his wealth in turn for the life of a man. The actions which follow include going to a journey in China and trying to find the family to solve the main matter. The transition which the character goes through is based first on the desire for wealth, than changes into the desire to do the right thing. By the end of the story, the character states “I considered how best to rid myself of those supernatural millions, as if I were ridding myself of the trappings of sin. That way I might perhaps free myself once and for all of that paunch and that hateful kite” (Quieros, p. 72). This particular quote shows how the concept in the beginning is based on wealth and the desire for fortune. However, this comes at the cost of other lives, which the narrator then tries to rectify and fix so he can be free of the sin which he believes he has committed. The story of “The Yellow Sofa” has the same progression when looking at being free of sin and going through changes to do what is morally right. This comes through the character of Alves who has to recognize how to treat others throughout the book instead of looking at his own desires. In the beginning, the character is interested in the work of his business and leaves the outside affairs to those that are involved with personal obligations. The conditions which arise cause Alves to change his approach to the others in the business and to create personal relationships and obligations to them. The form of leadership which he is required to take leads to his desire to have a moral basis for the assistance needed. This starts when his friend’s states: “Look here, you know about business affairs. But I understand about affairs of honor” (Quieros, p. 71). After this point, Alves begins to change to care about more than business and to withhold moral obligations to those that are surrounding him. In both situations, the characters are defined by being business savvy or falling into money. However, the business affairs lead them to compromising their own morality and ability to take the right option when the chance arises. Through the rest of the story, the characters in both situations try to rectify their moral obligations. The money and the business which both are involved in become secondary and unnecessary. The beginning moral issues with the death of a man who gave the mandarin and the family obligations of Alves then lead into a change in the situation and affairs, specifically where both of the characters change from being business and money oriented to basing their desires on care for others, specifically to fulfill moral duties within a given situation. 2. The mental struggle of Lucio is one which is combined with the situation he is in as well as the trauma which he experienced throughout the story. When first introduced, Lucio immediately states that the belief he had killed a man seemed like a better option, specifically because of the mental trauma he had gone through before this time frame. This initial statement as well as the concept that he will only state facts of the situation both show that the situation which Lucio explains is one which has been detrimental both mentally and emotionally. The main component which one is then able to look at is based on the ability to consider Lucio’s innocence, specifically because of the mental trauma which he places from the beginning of the story. The first mental struggle which is noted when Lucio is at a party with his friend who has been invited by an American woman. The time until this point is one which is considered casual with a group of friends coming together to enjoy an evening. However, the mental state immediately changes when the American woman states that she will be giving her own impressions of art. When the presentation begins, Lucio states “When we came back into the large salon, I, for my part, felt afraid and shrank back. The whole scene had changed it felt like a completely different room” (Carneiro, pg. 31). The approach which Lucio states is one which is foreign and overwhelming. However, when the performance begins, Lucio describes a fluid which is given to the audience and which created an ecstasy among those in the room. The confusion, physical response and the inability to recognize what was occurring then equates to the first episode in which the mental trauma begins. The mental strains which occur after this scene continue to grow, specifically between Lucio and his friend. The narration changes into one which is filled with anxiety and stress between the friends. Statements such as “Not that we were happy, oh no! Our lives were tormented by desires, misunderstandings, obscure sufferings” (pg.142). The mentality which is stated at this point leads to Lucio’s next decision, which causes him to leave his studies of law and to flee to Paris. However, the same torment remains with these actions, specifically with Lucio stating that he becomes an outsider with his decisions in terms of work and lifestyle. “I’m an outsider who knows half of Paris, an outcast with no debts and not a stain on my character, whom everyone respects, and who, nevertheless, belongs nowhere” (pg. 143). The concept of mental suffering, not belonging to a space and the mental torture which Lucio continues to state then leads into more depth with the problems he has throughout the story. The suffering changes in depth when Lucio meets Ricardo’s wife and can’t create an explanation of who she is or where she comes from. This becomes more complex when his wife disappears without any accountability. This occurs with no explanations and which causes Lucio to believe that the relationship is a mystery, specifically which coincided with his attractiveness and close relationship to Ricardo. The point which the suffering begins is when Lucio realizes that he is in love with Ricardo’s wife after she is gone. Lucio states “My spirit was driven by a terrible uncertainty; a continuous shivering fear zigzagged through my flesh. I could not sleep, I could not dream. All about me were only broken lines, pools of muddy light, dissonant noises” (p. 160). The idea of Lucio being in love with Ricardo’s wife is based on her mystery, sudden appearance and disappearance and the approach which she took toward life. This leads to their affair when he begins to unravel this main mystery and the presence of Marta. The torment which the narrator refers to is based on the mystery of the affair which they have, as well as the belief that he is committing a crime. The mental struggle leads to the confession because of the end of the affair with Marta, confusion over the relationship with Ricardo and the belief that he was in a “hellish situation” (p. 170). This leads to the climax in which Ricado tries to get rid of Marta and becomes her as he is shot. The mental struggle then becomes one of identifying the other characters of the story, distinguishing between reality and struggling with the reality and illusion which he has created through his affair and his beliefs of those he was surrounded with. 3. The force of the supernatural as a presence in each of the stories becomes one of the defining features that create the climax in the story. This unknown and mysterious presence is one which is based on the psychological affiliations which each of the characters has to the object or situation. When looking at and examining the mysterious presence, there is an understanding that it links directly to the perspective of the narrators and their affiliation with the actions they take as well as the presence which is surrounding this. The first supernatural presence that is seen is in “The Desecrated Church.” The main association that is noted with this is a combined focus on the idea of God and the church as well as the natural elements that are in the sky. In the beginning, the story states “The stars are the angels of God, denizens of the depths of the Empyrean where they intone their hymn to the glories of the Everlasting One” (Chagas, p. 184). This concept is combined with another element of the desecrated church, specifically as the church also becomes a reflection, similar to the stars that are pointed out. The religious and natural elements then create a specific association with the supernatural elements and the mysterious. The events which occur then become reflections of both the stars and the church which holds mysterious powers inside of it. The second story which shows this element is “The Fountain Man.” The mysterious object in this particular story is the fountain, which the main character is described as being obsessed with and always staring at. The fountain becomes the area which the main character meets each individual. It also becomes the reality of the main character, Harry with his decision to build a home like a fountain and to marry Ms. Fountain. “The Palace of Water! I intend to build it and live in it with Miss Fountain, if I ever find her… I think I can see that water nymph now through Harry’s eyes” (Patricio, p. 195). However, it is also the obsession with the fountain and the desire to be closer to the water that creates a psychological shift and leads to the death in the story. The fountain and the water then become responsible for the psychological association and events which take place. “The Turtle” is the third story which shows the same objects, mysterious changes and the actions which take place. The turtle becomes the object which is obsessed over, specifically by the character which finds the turtle and begins to obsess over finding it in the middle of the road. The actions of the character are based on the turtle mysteriously disappearing after being found dead. As the man tries to find the turtle, he moves into a creation of digging to find the turtle and to bring it back to life. However, this eventually creates the image of the man as becoming the turtle, specifically which creates a psychological relationship to others, specifically which him referring to crawling back into his home at night and slowly working to change and dig the landscape. The turtle appears back at the end when it is decided that the hole should be replaced, which is mysteriously done by the turtle (Negreiros, p. 206). The different objects of mystery and the defined way in which they work within each of the stories creates and defines the actions and attributes of the characters. The characters are able to build a psychological association and link to the mysterious objects in the story. More important, there is a direct association with how these influence the actions and end results with each of the characters. The result is the ability to understand the metaphor based on the objects identified and how this pertains to the characteristics, actions and end results that occur in relation to the main characters. Works Cited Carneiro, Mario. Lucio’s Confession. Dedalus: New York, 1993. Chagas, Manuel. “The Desecrated Church.” Negreiros, Jose. “The Turtle.” Patricio, Antonio. “The Fountain Man.” Queiros, Eca. The Mandarin. Dedalus: New York, 1999. Quieros, Eca. The Yellow Sofa. New Directions Publishing: New York, 1996. Read More