The case of the stick
Encyclopedia
The Case of the Stick is a 1891 short story (Portuguese O caso da vara) by Brazil
ian writer Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
, published first in the Gazeta de Notícias and republished in the book Páginas Recolhidas. It is an ironic depiction of slavery
in Brazil
(abolished in 1888) and selfishness
. The story's title is sometimes translated into English as The Punishment Case. Another English translation of the title is The Cane, under which title it appears in A Chapter of Hats and Other Stories, a collection of Machado's short stories published in Great Britain
by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2008.
. Afraid that if he returns home, his father will force him to return to the seminary, he goes to ask help of Miss Rita , a window and the lover of Damião's godfather
, João Carneiro . She agrees to help him, and he hides in her house, where she has a number of girls working for her.
When Rita asks why he does not speak with his father, Damião tells Rita that his father does not listen to anyone. Rita suggests that he seek help from his godfather. At first, Damião resists, but eventually agrees, and João Carneiro is sent for.
While they wait for João Carneiro at Rita's house, Damião tells joke
s to the girls. One of them, a slave named Lucrécia (Lou-kreh-see-a), is distracted from her work. Seeing this, Rita threatens to beat Lucrécia with a stick, the usual punishment, if she does not finish her work. Feeling sympathy for the small scarred black girl Damião decides that if Lucrécia does not finish the work, he will try to protect her, but says nothing.
João Carneiro arrives and Rita tries to convince him to intercede with Damião's father. She is insistent, and sends him off. Then she tells Damião to go eat dinner.
Some local women come to Rita's house for coffee and conversation. After the women leave later in the day, Damião becomes increasingly nervous and, certain that if he remains at Rita's house, his father will find him and send him back to the seminary, decides to try to escape. Clad in a chasuble
, he begs Rita for some plain clothing. Laughing, she tells him to relax, and that everything will turn out well. But soon a note from João arrives with the news that the father is unconvinced. Damião sees that Rita is his only hope. She takes a pen and paper and writes a note to João telling him that if he cannot convince the father, they will never see each other again.
Then Rita goes to the collect the work from the girls. Seeing that Lucrécia has not finished her work, she takes Lucrécia by the ear and tells Damião to fetch the stick. He is torn between his desire to help the girl, who begs him for help, and his desire to escape the seminary, he feels remose, but gives Miss Rita the stick.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian writer Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis , often known as Machado de Assis, Machado, or Bruxo do Cosme Velho , was a Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short story writer. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer of Brazilian literature, but he did not gain widespread popularity outside Brazil in...
, published first in the Gazeta de Notícias and republished in the book Páginas Recolhidas. It is an ironic depiction of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(abolished in 1888) and selfishness
Selfishness
Selfishness denotes an excessive or exclusive concern with oneself, and as such it exceeds mere self interest or self concern. Insofar as a decision maker knowingly burdens or harms others for personal gain, the decision is selfish. In contrast, self-interest is more general...
. The story's title is sometimes translated into English as The Punishment Case. Another English translation of the title is The Cane, under which title it appears in A Chapter of Hats and Other Stories, a collection of Machado's short stories published in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2008.
Plot summary
Damião is a young man who escapes from a seminarySeminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
. Afraid that if he returns home, his father will force him to return to the seminary, he goes to ask help of Miss Rita , a window and the lover of Damião's godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
, João Carneiro . She agrees to help him, and he hides in her house, where she has a number of girls working for her.
When Rita asks why he does not speak with his father, Damião tells Rita that his father does not listen to anyone. Rita suggests that he seek help from his godfather. At first, Damião resists, but eventually agrees, and João Carneiro is sent for.
While they wait for João Carneiro at Rita's house, Damião tells joke
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
s to the girls. One of them, a slave named Lucrécia (Lou-kreh-see-a), is distracted from her work. Seeing this, Rita threatens to beat Lucrécia with a stick, the usual punishment, if she does not finish her work. Feeling sympathy for the small scarred black girl Damião decides that if Lucrécia does not finish the work, he will try to protect her, but says nothing.
João Carneiro arrives and Rita tries to convince him to intercede with Damião's father. She is insistent, and sends him off. Then she tells Damião to go eat dinner.
Some local women come to Rita's house for coffee and conversation. After the women leave later in the day, Damião becomes increasingly nervous and, certain that if he remains at Rita's house, his father will find him and send him back to the seminary, decides to try to escape. Clad in a chasuble
Chasuble
The chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian Churches that use full vestments, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches, as well as in some parts of the United Methodist Church...
, he begs Rita for some plain clothing. Laughing, she tells him to relax, and that everything will turn out well. But soon a note from João arrives with the news that the father is unconvinced. Damião sees that Rita is his only hope. She takes a pen and paper and writes a note to João telling him that if he cannot convince the father, they will never see each other again.
Then Rita goes to the collect the work from the girls. Seeing that Lucrécia has not finished her work, she takes Lucrécia by the ear and tells Damião to fetch the stick. He is torn between his desire to help the girl, who begs him for help, and his desire to escape the seminary, he feels remose, but gives Miss Rita the stick.