Macunaíma: analysis and summary of the book by Mário de Andrade

Macunaíma, a book by Mário de Andrade published in 1928, is considered one of two main modernist romances.

A work is a rhapsody about the formation of Brazil, in which various national elements intersect a narrative that tells the story of Macunaíma, or heroic character.

[Attention, or text below with spoilers]

Summary of the work

Macunaíma nasceu did not found a mato-virgem, filho do medo e da noite, a birrenta, preguiçosa and ardent-minded child. He passed into childhood as an Amazonian tribesman who ate a bowl of wild manioc and became an adult. He is turned off by Ci, to Mãe do Mato, and as the item a filho that dies with a baby.

Após a morte do filho, Ci sobre aos ceus de desgosto and turns a star. Macunaíma is very sad to lose her beloved, I have as the only memory of the amulet called Muiraquitã. Get him or lose. Macunaíma discovers that the amulet is in São Paulo in the possession of Venceslau Pietro Pietra, or giant Piamã people-eater.

To recover or muraiquitã, Macunaíma leaves for São Paulo com seus dois irmãos. After some attempts, he gets a volta or amulet and returns to his tribes in Amazônia. Some adventures depois e ele loses muiraquitã again. Disappointed, Macunaíma was also over his years.

Principais personagens

O livro de Mário de Andrade is cheio de people who portray the characteristics of Brazilian povo. Many of them fazem a rapid passage of narrative and servem of allegory for defects or qualities of national character. Other personagens face part of everything or entanglement and têm an important role for the development of freedom.

Macunaíma

É or main personage, or heroic sem nenhum character. É um amálgama da formação do Brasil. The Indian, the black, you should take a bath at the bottom of the giant Sumé, vira europeu.

Individualist and very preguiçoso, seu bordão é "ai que preguiça". As ações de Macunaíma are the fruit of a mixture of malandragem, selfishness, vingança and innocence.

It is difficult to foresee what decision I am going to make during a dilemma, his escorts will give us some surprises in the long run of romance. Macunaíma is also very lascivious and attached to the easy life of prazeres.

Jiguê

Irmão do meio. Your companions always ended up sleeping with Macunaíma. Jiguê é um homem forte e bravo, you see traições batting nas suas mulheres, porém seldom gives uma sova no irmão.

He also tends to wash himself since he sees his irmão become white, but to water it is still held and he washes little, making it like copper.

Maanape

He is irmão mais velho, and feiticeiro and revives or heroes some times. Very good, have a good part of the romance taking care of Macunaíma. He also tries to wash himself in the magic pool of Jiguê, but he does not restore anything of water, then he continues black, only with palms with heavy feet and more white.

Venceslau Pietro Pietra

Peruvian farmer who lives in São Paulo. The item a posse da muraiquitã that Macunaíma wanted to recover.

Venceslau também é or giant Piaimã people dining room, who lives in a large house not Pacaembu and has European habits. He made a trip to Europe and a social hub.

Ci

Mãe do Mato, the face is part of the tribes of the icamiabas, who are women warriors who do not oil in the presence of homens. It becomes a woman of Macunaíma depois do herói forçá-la a ter relações sexuais. He becomes or novo Imperador do Mato-Virgem. Along with the time that the baby dies, it becomes the guarana plant.

Work Analysis

Macunaíma and training of Brazilian culture

Mário de Andrade wanted to produce a work that reflects Brazil as a unit, making it possible for the multiple national characteristics to be united by creating an identity for the Brazilian culture.

The author goes through his vast knowledge of national folklore and previous years of modernist literary production to carry out this task.

Assim the face of Macunaíma a rhapsody: a collagem of lendas, myths, tradições, religiões, falares, habits, foods, places, fauna and flora of Brazil. A great genius of the work was to be able to unite these many elements in a common narrative.

For isso, Mário de Andrade launches many characteristics of the modernist composition. Or space em Macunaíma not follow as regras da verossimilhança two realistic romances. Either he passes from a distant place to another in few passes and foge of the giant Piamã, running throughout the South American continent. Or that it gives unity to space, not romance, and not a physical distance between places and their characteristics.

O author uses national elements to give unity to these spaces. As I do not know that Macunaíma wanted to see two irmãos and places a bichinho no café de Maanape and a taturana in Jeguê's bed, we were são picados and we attacked the insects for a long time. To be vingarem, they play a ball of couro em Macunaíma, which also shoots ball for a long time. Mário de Andrade continues:

"O bichinho fell in Campinas. A taturana fell for aí. A ball fell not field. And so Maanape invented or bug-do-café, Jiguê a lizard-rosada and Macunaíma or futebol, three pragas. "

The spaces are united because the narrative itself unites you. As ações also follows this little preceed. As absurd as it may seem, they have a great relationship with a narrative that becomes verossimic.

The method of construction of romance as a collage makes it possible for the author to face a syncretic exposition of national culture. Misturating indigenous legends as technological innovations, inserting historical personages in different contexts and creating roots and justifications for some national symbols. Mário de Andrade achieves the right way to breed a work that is a compêndio of Brazilian culture.

A language used to make possible is a great mixture of indigenous thermoses with regional falars and the same foreign language.

Linguagem is very close to orality. Letter pras icamiabas, is a letter written by Macunaíma in a very formal language and a very large stranger not read. In this way, Mário de Andrade shows us that the use of regional and written terms It approaches more than fala, I even have errors from Portuguese, it is a more adequate way of counting estoria of Macunaíma and gives training to Brazilian culture.

Macunaíma This complex work and all its elements are linked to the purpose of creating a national culture. Or entanglement is a collagem of elements of the Brazilian culture in which Macunaíma moves, modifying and adapting according to necessity. His adventures are the challenges of a time that will come to identify himself as a nation, with a huge territory and countless external influences.

Summary by chapter

Macunaíma

Macunaíma nasceu filho do medo e da noite. At the age of six he does not fail because of pure preguiça and, he is still growing up, goes for or kills "jump" with companheira do seu irmão Jiguê.

When your family starts to pass fos, or you get food, because your mom wants to divide the food as your family. Macunaíma did not want to share food and face.

Maioridade

His mother or expels him from home and, I do not kill, he finds him a cotia who, ao ouvir as his childhood journeys, or he transforms into an adult and Macunaíma returns home.

In a caçada ele kills a veada that has finished of ter babies. Porém, when she approaches, he discovers that he saw his mother. Ele e seus irmãos, Jiguê e Maanape, partem para o mato.

Ci, Mãe do Mato

Macunaíma found Ci, a Mãe do Mato e tem vontade de “jump” as ela. As Ci was guerreira, or heroi takes a sova, but the seus irmãos or ajudam a domá-la.

Macunaíma becomes Imperador do Mato Virgem e tem um filho com Ci. Or filho died poisoned to or suck not the same as a cobra had sucked. Ci fica very sad, gives a muiraquitã for Macunaíma and sovereign years.

Boiúna Luna

Very sad, Macunaíma leaves again as your serious irmãos. I did not walk he found Capei, he luta as a monster and he lost Muiraquitã in a battle. Later, a passerby tells about what the talisman was found and sold to Venceslau Pietro Pietra, a rich Peruvian farmer who lives in São Paulo. Macunaíma e os seus irmãos vão for a great city to recover Muiraquitã.

Piaimã

We will go down to Araguaia to get to São Paulo with a cacao boat, at the current time.

Ao chegar na cidade, they discovered that or cacau did not fear so much value and that Venceslau Pietro Pietra é também or Piaimã, or giant eater of people.

Macunaíma goes to Rua Maranhão, in the giant house, to try to get Muiraquitã back. Meanwhile, he ends up dead giant hair and chopped to be cooked in polenta. Seus irmãos will get it back and revive him or her.

A French e o giant

After a frustrated attempt, Macunaíma dressed as a French to try to deceive Piaimã, a contudo, or giant who wanted to “jump” with a French woman in a troca da muiraquitã. Like being uncovered, or heroic foge of Venceslau all over the Brazilian territory.

Macumba

With two frustrated attempts, or here I go to Rio de Janeiro to seek a terreiro de macumba. Lá, Macunaíma can be used to mistreat the giant, as a consensual entity or hero of a sova in Piaimã.

Vei, a Sol

Not Rio de Janeiro, Macunaíma still has more adventures. Not end of them, he finds Vei, Sol. Sometimes I wanted him to get married with some of his filhas, and for the não sair "jumping" with other women.

Macunaíma promises not to do anything, because of that, when Vei sai com suas filhas, or heroi finds a Portuguese and vai "jump" with her.

Letter pras Icamiabas

From return to São Paulo, or hero, send a letter to the Amazons asking for more dinheiro. It tells how the life of the city is going to be about the women who “jump” with the money market.

A letter is written in extremely formal language, a critic from São Paulo that fails in one language and writes down on another.

Pauí-podole

Piaimã is in bed due to surra that the levou gives macumba and hides Muiraquitã lying on top of it.

Macunaíma does not have the possibility of recovering Pedra, so he resolves to dedicate himself to the study of two languages ​​of São Paulo, or written Portuguese or Brazilian.

To velha Ceiuci

Macunaíma wanted to deceive you and said that I saw a caça trail in the center of São Paulo. We will accredit you three times to face the stock exchange caçar. Uma confusion and armed and tied to the police appears and tries to arrest or hero, that manages to escape.

You should go fishing not in the same place as a giant's wife, Ceiuci, who is also a cannibal. She captures or wounds or takes home to be served, not jantar. Macunaíma is protected by the filha da cannibal, "jumps" like the depois foge. Follow a chase throughout America do Sul between Ceiuci e or heroi, who manages to escape.

Tequeteque, chupinzão and injustiça dos homens

Venceslau travels to Europe with his family and Macunaíma fica with a chance to recover Muiraquitã. Either he wanted to go to the continent to recover Muiraquitã. In order not to spend everything or money he has, he becomes a painter.

Macunaíma decides to go to the park to paint and is deceived by a coup plotter, ficando sem dinheiro. When he returns home, he discovers that there are many Indian painters to Europe, then or to the government that he will not pay for his trip.

A piolhenta do Jiguê

Macunaíma is in bed. Seu irmão de ella, Jiguê, tem uma nova namorada, and Macunaíma also "jump" like her.

Jiguê discovers and tries to prevent her from passing time with her irmão and to send caçar piolho. Macunaíma starts a way of ficarding her. Seu irmão de ella then resolves to send her embora.

Muiraquitã

The giant Piaimã volta for São Paulo and Macunaíma is ready to kill him to recover or talisman. O heroi vai to Venceslau's house, who tempts him to deceive him. Contudo, o heroi é mais esperto, reverte a situção e o kills. Piaimã ends no molho de uma macarronada and Macunaíma recovers muiraquitã.

To pacuera de Oibê

Macunaíma e seus irmãos are returning to the Amazon. No meio do caminho, they param for Macunaíma to hit Irique, who has been to companheira de seu irmão Jiguê. They “brincam” very much, I did not walk, or I woke up from sleeping on the terra firma.

Macunaíma goes to earth and finds a monster. Na fugue, he discovers a pretty princess, returns to the ship and follows her journey leaving Irique with many cities.

Uraricoera

Everyone is looking to Aldeia. In time, we will leave to hunt and fish, Macunaíma passa or day resting. Seu irmão Jiguê fica very uncomfortable, you do have a mishap and, to be damned, Macunaíma poisons an anzol.

Seu irmão fica muito doente and vai supplied to turn a poisoned shadow. A shadow wants to be seen from Macunaíma, or prevents eating and, when or heroi is very much encouraged, she becomes food to or poison.

Macunaíma says that he will die and decide to pass a doença for the highest number of animals possible for not to die sozinho. Not final, it is cured by past or poison for so many other critters.

In the shade Jiguê acha or irmão very intelligent and, com saudades da família, go home, eat with each princess and or irmão Maanape. Macunaíma manages to deceive the poisoned shadow and escapes.

Ursa Major

Or here you are sozinho e com fome, you can not hunt or fish for it. Home is also falling and Macunaíma is leaving her.

Na kill, sofre it with heat and vontades, and get a frozen water to cool off. He stands as a very pretty donut, that nothing is true for Uiara. Or do not resist and enter the water.

Após uma luta, he manages to escape, but he loses again to Muiraquitã. Sozinho e sem o talismã, Macunaíma decides to raise aos céus and turn the star.

Epilogue

This chapter introduces the narrator. He tells that everyone who knew about the history was dead and that he took the same knowledge through a passerby.

Mário de Andrade and o Modernism

Mário de Andrade was one of the two most important Brazilian intellectuals in his career. He was a poet, romance writer, chronicler, musicologist, photographer and researcher of Brazilian folklore.

He contacted you for the first time as modernism at the Anita Malfatti art exhibition. Upon meeting Oswald de Andrade, he became influenced by the modernist movement.

Mário de Andrade joined the "group two five" and went on to do part of the avant-garde of Brazilian art. Another key for Mário de Andrade and for Brazilian culture was 1922. Naquele ano, ele collaborated with the magazine Klaxon, he participated in the Modern Art Week and launched two major books from him, or Paulicéia Desvairada, that became a framework for modern Brazilian literature.

In Europe, various artistic vanguard were born that defended freedom of creation, not Brazil or Parnassianism, was the most influential literary school. The Parnassians pregavam a metrified poetry, with rich rhymes and themes that you contemplate.

Mário de Andrade, who was influenced by the vanguard, became a great critic of the Parnassian movement. He didn't want to just copy or that he was ugly in Europe, and sim use the concepts of European avant-garde to create a national literature.

I defended this position no Very Interesting Preface, A kind of manifesto where it reaffirms or uses verses semimetrica, sem rima, and a linguagem more simple and next to Portuguese falado no Brasil. In this text, Mário de Andrade also criticizes rigid rules and difficult language of Parnassianism.

Macunaíma it was the main book of Mário de Andrade. Nele is all the preceitos that he defends. A narrative and fluid and with a lot of freedom, it is made up of national elements and words originating in Brazil. Mário was able to use the European vanguard to create a national literature.

About or film Macunaíma

Macunaíma It was adapted for the cinema in 1969 by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade. Or film is considered one of two pioneers of the Cinema Novo movement.

Behind the comic there is a theme and an audiovisual language that seeks to represent the work of Mário de Andrade and his intentions of him no cinema.

The film was highly praised by the public and by the critics. As o livro é cheio de ações, a adaptation for the cinema is not totally trustworthy, porém a re-writing of the filmmaker Joaquim Pedro de Andrade was successful in transmitting the work of Mário de Andrade.

About or author Mário de Andrade

Mário de Andrade was a writer, musicologist and researcher of Brazilian folklore.

Born in São Paulo, in 1893, and died in 1945. He traveled all over Brazil to study or national folklore. Macunaíma It is a cheia work of references to Brazilian popular culture and the result of the investigations of Mário de Andrade.

They were also two idealizers of the Modern Art Week of 1922, or event promoting a break from classical aesthetics and inauguration or modernism in Brazil. Also participating in the Week are great names of Brazilian culture such as Heitor Villa-Lobos, Anita Malfatti, Di Cavalcanti and Oswald de Andrade.

Seus books of highlight são Macunaíma, Paulicéia Desvairada and Amar, Intransitive Verb.

Conheça also

• Poems explained to meet Mario de Andrade
• Modernism: characteristics and historical context
• Lenda do Boto (Brazilian folklore)
• Livro Amar, Intransitive Verb