#sansha

Dom Casmurro is generally referred to as “The Brazilian Othello”, which is BS, because “Othello” goes and makes sure you know there is a villain manipulating everything and Machado doesn’t let the reader off easy like that, he just goes “Here, have an unreliable narrador (Bentinho) that absolutely had to convince himself his wife (Capitu) was cheating on him due to Catholic Guilt™ over skipping seminary/possibly being attracted to his friend (Escobar) that leads him to believe his wife is sleeping with his friend and that said friend is the actual father of his son (Ezequiel) all because of how she looked back at his coffin while consoling his wife (Sancha) that also happened to be Capitu’s best friend! Have fun!”

In Brazil you can literally just go “So, did she cheat or not?” to anyone that knows even a little bit about literature and they will know what you’re talking about, since this is the book some idiot decided all second graders should be forced to read, therefore sucking all of the love you could possibly have had for it, but I digress.

Anyway: I remember being in this literature class in second grade where we were discussing “Dom Camurro” (which I had already read before when I was like 12, because I am THAT nerd) and a classmate and friend of mine said, in that very blunt 15 year old teenage boy kinda way: "It doesn't matter if she cheated or not. Bentinho was a boring idiot, and she was so cool that if she was my wife, I wouldn't even care, I just wouldn't let her go." (Translating the main idea to English) and it was the first time that it hit me, that maybe the question "did she cheat or not" is actually kinda irrelevant, because it doesn’t make a difference in the book: He is convinced she did, so he kicks her out of his house, doesn’t see her or their son for years and when his son comes to visit him, he is just a cold dickhead to the kid (now a grown man) and that’s it!

His life is just kinda miserable once Capitu leaves, so in the end, the fact is: We don't know if she cheated, we don’t know if his son is or isn’t of his blood (thought, the boy is clearly HIS SON regardless, when he comes I don’t even think he remembers Escobar (the friend) all that well, but he sure as hell remembered HIS DAD) but we sure as hell know this guy ruined his own life...

(ALSO: While I don’t care if she cheated or not, I like to imagine that after Bentinho publishes his memoir he gets a letter from Sancha just going “Yeah, so... Escobar couldn’t have kids... My daughter was the one who wasn’t like... His’... Sorry, you ruined your life for nothing. On the bright side, at least ONE Capitu will get to live a long and happy life!... God, you’re such a prick.”)

Yes, Sansha and Escobar named their kid Capitu too...

Sansha NPC frigate (Niarja) - Rin Kazari - Witchcraft Works