Prejudice in Brazil
The dictionary defines prejudice as narrow-mindedness. It also defines it as
assimilation, absorption or digestion. The story of Gaspar Pereira Reboucas and Rita
Brasilia dos Santos is very interesting and is a testament of how important race and
education is in not only Brazil, but the world in general. Their struggles would only
become a motivating tool in their advancement into the White World.
Reboucas and dos Santos are typical of many marriages and couplings in
Brazil,Their different backgrounds, cultures, and class served as a melting pot for
Brazilian society. Their offspring would only grow to become the new faces of Brazilian
culture. While assimilating to the dominant White Brazilian culture, one will lose all
respect for his lower-class heritage and eventually become the ugly beast that he
desperately fought against.
Gaspar Pereira Reboucas and Rita Brasilia dos Santos were two very different
people. Reboucas was a white Portuguese who immigrated to Brazil to look for a better
life. Rita dos Santos was a freed mulatto woman who found interest in Gaspar. Brazilian
culture in those day's was and still is based on skin color. Men in Brazil found Black and
mulatto women more appealing. Leon Spitzer states, " For Gaspar Pereiera Reboucas,
Rita's race and physical appearance may in themselves have been attractive forces, and
consciously or unconsciously she may have taken advantage of this attraction." P 106
Rita knew that Gaspar was attracted to her and she knew that he would do anything for
her.
Rita and Gaspars relationship grew and they eventually had numerous kids, but
the relationship may have been calculated and was not based on love. Spitzer say's, " In
order to bring about her marriage to Gaspar Periera Reboucas, Rita Brasilia dos Santos no
doubt took advantage of a means of...