Forcing and Forbidding Speech: Silence and Racial Identity in "Mariana" (1871) and "Mariana" (1891)

Abstract

Though several scholars have noted parallels between "Mariana" (1871) and "Mariana" (1891), many dismiss them as disparate stories that happen to share the same name. My purpose in this article is to analyze the themes of speech, silence, and racial identity—particularly as they pertain to both Marianas—to identify resonances between the 1871 and 1891 texts. I use Flynn, Calvo-González, and Souza's ( 2013 ) reading of racial identity in "Pai contra mãe" as a model, exploring references to blackness in both stories. In doing so I argue that although it may appear that Machado whitewashed the 1871 story into a monochromatic 1891 narrative, significant traces and suggestions of Afro-Brazilianness remain.