The Slum Summary
Status: the Answer When Combining Race, Gender, and Social Mobility Brazil in the 1800’s was a combination of two worlds, the European world, and the New World. Aluísio Azevedo depicts the conflict and synergism of the mixing of these two worlds in The Slum. The Slum is the story of a neighborhood where members of both worlds collide, forced to interact with one another and it becomes a microcosm of the entire country. The characters in this community each represent a facet of the two worlds. By looking at each character and the slum itself, it is possible to decipher Brazil. To gain status in Brazil there is a need to create the right impression and be able to navigate the culture of the times to gain social mobility all while following
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the rules laid-out for the different races, and gender. Two characters exemplify the ways to status: João and Bertoleza, with the slum they create as the backdrop and factor into status of the characters. Although Brazil in the 1800’s was a combination of two worlds, the thoughts associated with status and ways of gaining it were based off the ideals of the Old world. Status was equivalent to racial purity or superiority, acceptable gender norms, wealth, and an overall irreproachable reputation. Racial purity or superiority means that there is no or little African blood in the family or the association with blacks is based off that of a master servant relationship. In regards to gender men were to be honorable, a man of his word, defender of his family, able be financial successful and a womanizer. A woman on the other hand was to be virtuous, keeping her maidenhood for her husband alone and being obedient to the men in her life. Europeans valued wealth as a way to providing status, wealth provided the ability to have physical symbols of status using servants and other luxuries. Wealth symbolized power in Europe because to have power meant a person had land and through the land, a person gained wealth and power. Greed, thief, and ambition are choice words to describe João Romão. He is a Portuguese man who does nothing but dream of riches and acquisition of status. His desire of riches is similar to those of other Portuguese immigrants to Brazil, an opportunity to change their fates. João works hard for everything; sacrificing luxuries for himself in order to gain a strong financial base, which he believes, will give him the desired status. The drive to gain status also drives João the opportunity to exploit, his customers, employees, and his romantic interest. The cheating of his customer, occurred regularly to the point where he gave them change in expired money (The Slum, 169). The exploitation of João correlates to the exploitation of the Portuguese of Brazil. The system of government established in Brazil was one that encouraged mercantilism with all valuable resources sent to Portugal. He exploits his employees by taking or limiting their wages. To “help” an employee avoid his responsibilities to a woman he impregnated he states that the wage will go for a dowry but he keeps them for himself (The Slum 84). He also attempted to swindle Jerónimo with lower wages but was unsuccessful (The Slum 32). The real exploitation takes place with João’s romantic interest the first with Bertoleza and the second with Zulmira.
The relationship with Bertoleza is out of convinces, she comes to depend on João for financial matters (he is her banker); she works for him and trusts him. It is when the trust develops that a romantic relationship develops (The Slum, 2). This relationship is easy to exploit because they are both striving to gain an economic foothold. João is Portugal gaining from a relationship with other lesser people. His employee, customers, and Bertoleza are the Brazilians gaining little for the work and resources they contribute. João worked towards a raise in his status and Bertoleza so she would be able to enjoy the fruits of her labor, she had some ulterior motives that will be discussed further in the paper. João second romance is one of opportunity. Zulmira the woman he begins to purse is the daughter of João’s neighbor Miranda. Miranda and his family come for means, with him owning a dry goods store (The Slum 5). Miranda increases his status and that of his family with the acquisition of a title of noble. Nobility is an increase in status and João recognizes this. He begins to attract the attention of Miranda and his family by changing his ways. In the beginning, the lack of luxuries allows him to gain money, however João recognizes that he needs to spend some of his wealth to gain a higher status. His lack of culture and mode of dress was more common amongst his tenants than those of his same financial standing were. He cursed the “stinginess” that turned prevented him from joining the elites. The story of João’s transformation is comparable to Brazil’s desire to compete on the level of Britain and the United States by transforming the country with modernization and industry. The desire to advance into a country of standing meant abandoning the ways that kept reminding the country of its history as a colony. João in his continued climb to a man of status, João realizes that wealth and social mobility is not enough to gain the status he desires. His relationship with Bertoleza, a slave and black woman, holds him back from advancing onto a more prestige status, “She was the sole flaw in a man who otherwise was so eminent and respectable” (The Slum, 172). A lasting relationship with a woman of a lower social class tainted the status of any man and if a woman of standing were to be involved with a black man, her status would disappear. Race influenced status because race was an indicator of status. A person’s whiteness was an apparent display of where a person stood in the vast hierarchy of Brazil society. This idea stems from the relationship the Portuguese developed with the slaves they imported from Africa to work on the country’s plantations. Due to the extreme number of slaves compared to the small number of whites, a systemic racial hierarchy connected race to the idea of status and power. The subordinate slave became equivalent to the subordinate black. Bertoleza status as a slave gives her little hope of social mobility and because of her race even as a free black her prospects are small. Any hope of social mobility rested in the hope becoming involved with a man of a littler skin color, preferable white because “like all colored women, she … sought a mate of superior race” (The Slum 2). This is Bertoleza’s ulterior motive; it is her desire to advance that encourages her relationship with João. However, this benefit of social mobility will only pertain to her; a continuous relationship with a black woman would be a stain on Joao’s reputation and jeopardize his advancing status. Brazil’s history as a colony is not horrible in the eyes of the British, who owned so many colonies that “the sun never set on their empire”. However with Britain being the leading country who advocated for abolition, the history of slavery became the “black stain from [its] life, to get rid of it like someone flicking a speck of dirt off [its] jacket” (The Slum 188). Brazil’s history of using slave labor led the white minority to enforcing a hierarchy that would allow this minority population to stay in power as long as it remained “pure”. This reinforced the rule of racial superiority a white man or woman would lose status if he or she engaged in a relationship with a black man or woman and this relationship was one of the few ways for black man or woman to gain status. This catch-22 discouraged any member of the white minority to have a relationship with a member of a lower race. The slum, Sao Romão, in which all of this action takes place, represents Brazil.
In the beginning, the construction of the slum was made with stolen materials, the labor being done by João himself as a way to cut costs (The Slum 4). This works as an analogy for the way Brazil began, on land that was stolen from the natives who inhabited, and developed by the cheap labor of those natives and later by the slaves. As the Sao Romão grew is similar to the way Brazil began, starting piece-by-piece working from the coast inland. The character of Sao Romão is like Brazil, bringing people from all walks of life, “continually swallow[ing] new citizens,” there were immigrants from the homeland Portugal, other European countries like Italy, blacks, and the vast mixture of races that could occurring with people interacting (mulattos of varying degrees). In the slum the differences apparent to each individual yet when threatened by outside forces, there was an ability to unite as one. An example is the fight between Piedade and Rita (Portuguese verse Brazilian) these two individual fight over their difference and are encouraged to fight by the other residence of Sao Romão to the point that a fight breaks out among the other residents., yet when a rival neighborhood begins to attack Sao Romão rallies together to defend themselves. This is comparable to how the white population and most of the mixed population united against the freeing of the slaves or for the fight for
independence.
As the story continues João works to improve the conditions of the slums, which are small, worn down shacks, his desire to make improvements is similar to the improvement people sought to create in Brazil. Once the shacks were converted to houses and apartments, a different group of people began to live in the neighborhood. João also ensured this by asking for references of new tenants and security deposits ridding the houses of many of his former tenants and increasing the residents with respectable people (government workers, artisans, clerks) (The Slum 198). This is no different from the Brazilian government attracting white Europeans to increase the “whiteness” of the country. The physical improvement of the slum is what Brazil wanted itself, to move from barbarism to civilization. The status of João and the other characters in The Slum is a portrayal of Brazil as a whole. It explains the culture of the country, a country were reputation is everything. The status of a person is a demonstration of a person’s reputation. Joao exploited his acquaintances to rise with the community and gain status according to the European model. He used his wealth as a means of social mobility and display of power. His manipulation of the women in his life gave him honor, and his rejecting of Bertoleza revealed his racial superiority. Joao used the culture of the time and the social norms to gain status. His raise on the social ladder is what Brazil wanted itself, to move from a colony of slaves to a country on par with the world powers of the time. The transformation of the slum is a grander expression of the change that those in power wanted for Brazil, a move from a backwards country to a civilized nation.
the rules laid-out for the different races, and gender. Two characters exemplify the ways to status: João and Bertoleza, with the slum they create as the backdrop and factor into status of the characters. Although Brazil in the 1800’s was a combination of two worlds, the thoughts associated with status and ways of gaining it were based off the ideals of the Old world. Status was equivalent to racial purity or superiority, acceptable gender norms, wealth, and an overall irreproachable reputation. Racial purity or superiority means that there is no or little African blood in the family or the association with blacks is based off that of a master servant relationship. In regards to gender men were to be honorable, a man of his word, defender of his family, able be financial successful and a womanizer. A woman on the other hand was to be virtuous, keeping her maidenhood for her husband alone and being obedient to the men in her life. Europeans valued wealth as a way to providing status, wealth provided the ability to have physical symbols of status using servants and other luxuries. Wealth symbolized power in Europe because to have power meant a person had land and through the land, a person gained wealth and power. Greed, thief, and ambition are choice words to describe João Romão. He is a Portuguese man who does nothing but dream of riches and acquisition of status. His desire of riches is similar to those of other Portuguese immigrants to Brazil, an opportunity to change their fates. João works hard for everything; sacrificing luxuries for himself in order to gain a strong financial base, which he believes, will give him the desired status. The drive to gain status also drives João the opportunity to exploit, his customers, employees, and his romantic interest. The cheating of his customer, occurred regularly to the point where he gave them change in expired money (The Slum, 169). The exploitation of João correlates to the exploitation of the Portuguese of Brazil. The system of government established in Brazil was one that encouraged mercantilism with all valuable resources sent to Portugal. He exploits his employees by taking or limiting their wages. To “help” an employee avoid his responsibilities to a woman he impregnated he states that the wage will go for a dowry but he keeps them for himself (The Slum 84). He also attempted to swindle Jerónimo with lower wages but was unsuccessful (The Slum 32). The real exploitation takes place with João’s romantic interest the first with Bertoleza and the second with Zulmira.
The relationship with Bertoleza is out of convinces, she comes to depend on João for financial matters (he is her banker); she works for him and trusts him. It is when the trust develops that a romantic relationship develops (The Slum, 2). This relationship is easy to exploit because they are both striving to gain an economic foothold. João is Portugal gaining from a relationship with other lesser people. His employee, customers, and Bertoleza are the Brazilians gaining little for the work and resources they contribute. João worked towards a raise in his status and Bertoleza so she would be able to enjoy the fruits of her labor, she had some ulterior motives that will be discussed further in the paper. João second romance is one of opportunity. Zulmira the woman he begins to purse is the daughter of João’s neighbor Miranda. Miranda and his family come for means, with him owning a dry goods store (The Slum 5). Miranda increases his status and that of his family with the acquisition of a title of noble. Nobility is an increase in status and João recognizes this. He begins to attract the attention of Miranda and his family by changing his ways. In the beginning, the lack of luxuries allows him to gain money, however João recognizes that he needs to spend some of his wealth to gain a higher status. His lack of culture and mode of dress was more common amongst his tenants than those of his same financial standing were. He cursed the “stinginess” that turned prevented him from joining the elites. The story of João’s transformation is comparable to Brazil’s desire to compete on the level of Britain and the United States by transforming the country with modernization and industry. The desire to advance into a country of standing meant abandoning the ways that kept reminding the country of its history as a colony. João in his continued climb to a man of status, João realizes that wealth and social mobility is not enough to gain the status he desires. His relationship with Bertoleza, a slave and black woman, holds him back from advancing onto a more prestige status, “She was the sole flaw in a man who otherwise was so eminent and respectable” (The Slum, 172). A lasting relationship with a woman of a lower social class tainted the status of any man and if a woman of standing were to be involved with a black man, her status would disappear. Race influenced status because race was an indicator of status. A person’s whiteness was an apparent display of where a person stood in the vast hierarchy of Brazil society. This idea stems from the relationship the Portuguese developed with the slaves they imported from Africa to work on the country’s plantations. Due to the extreme number of slaves compared to the small number of whites, a systemic racial hierarchy connected race to the idea of status and power. The subordinate slave became equivalent to the subordinate black. Bertoleza status as a slave gives her little hope of social mobility and because of her race even as a free black her prospects are small. Any hope of social mobility rested in the hope becoming involved with a man of a littler skin color, preferable white because “like all colored women, she … sought a mate of superior race” (The Slum 2). This is Bertoleza’s ulterior motive; it is her desire to advance that encourages her relationship with João. However, this benefit of social mobility will only pertain to her; a continuous relationship with a black woman would be a stain on Joao’s reputation and jeopardize his advancing status. Brazil’s history as a colony is not horrible in the eyes of the British, who owned so many colonies that “the sun never set on their empire”. However with Britain being the leading country who advocated for abolition, the history of slavery became the “black stain from [its] life, to get rid of it like someone flicking a speck of dirt off [its] jacket” (The Slum 188). Brazil’s history of using slave labor led the white minority to enforcing a hierarchy that would allow this minority population to stay in power as long as it remained “pure”. This reinforced the rule of racial superiority a white man or woman would lose status if he or she engaged in a relationship with a black man or woman and this relationship was one of the few ways for black man or woman to gain status. This catch-22 discouraged any member of the white minority to have a relationship with a member of a lower race. The slum, Sao Romão, in which all of this action takes place, represents Brazil.
In the beginning, the construction of the slum was made with stolen materials, the labor being done by João himself as a way to cut costs (The Slum 4). This works as an analogy for the way Brazil began, on land that was stolen from the natives who inhabited, and developed by the cheap labor of those natives and later by the slaves. As the Sao Romão grew is similar to the way Brazil began, starting piece-by-piece working from the coast inland. The character of Sao Romão is like Brazil, bringing people from all walks of life, “continually swallow[ing] new citizens,” there were immigrants from the homeland Portugal, other European countries like Italy, blacks, and the vast mixture of races that could occurring with people interacting (mulattos of varying degrees). In the slum the differences apparent to each individual yet when threatened by outside forces, there was an ability to unite as one. An example is the fight between Piedade and Rita (Portuguese verse Brazilian) these two individual fight over their difference and are encouraged to fight by the other residence of Sao Romão to the point that a fight breaks out among the other residents., yet when a rival neighborhood begins to attack Sao Romão rallies together to defend themselves. This is comparable to how the white population and most of the mixed population united against the freeing of the slaves or for the fight for
independence.
As the story continues João works to improve the conditions of the slums, which are small, worn down shacks, his desire to make improvements is similar to the improvement people sought to create in Brazil. Once the shacks were converted to houses and apartments, a different group of people began to live in the neighborhood. João also ensured this by asking for references of new tenants and security deposits ridding the houses of many of his former tenants and increasing the residents with respectable people (government workers, artisans, clerks) (The Slum 198). This is no different from the Brazilian government attracting white Europeans to increase the “whiteness” of the country. The physical improvement of the slum is what Brazil wanted itself, to move from barbarism to civilization. The status of João and the other characters in The Slum is a portrayal of Brazil as a whole. It explains the culture of the country, a country were reputation is everything. The status of a person is a demonstration of a person’s reputation. Joao exploited his acquaintances to rise with the community and gain status according to the European model. He used his wealth as a means of social mobility and display of power. His manipulation of the women in his life gave him honor, and his rejecting of Bertoleza revealed his racial superiority. Joao used the culture of the time and the social norms to gain status. His raise on the social ladder is what Brazil wanted itself, to move from a colony of slaves to a country on par with the world powers of the time. The transformation of the slum is a grander expression of the change that those in power wanted for Brazil, a move from a backwards country to a civilized nation.