A casa da paixão

Andressa Cristina Molinari
July 6, 2009
Academic writing

A casa da paixão
This is a psychological novel written by Nélida Cuiñas Piñon and published in 1972. The novel is a masterpiece that rejects all conventional ways of writing, is a long narrative that takes aspects such as character and conflicts, time and space which highlights the human being as an individual and not as a representation of the bourgeoisie. This modern narrative has as one of its characteristics a critic to habits. Furthermore, it understands the world through one character and it´s psychological analysis.
The author plotted out the story in a complex form to describe the life of a young girl seeking for freedom and self knowledge in a traditional environment with old habits. Apparently, it is a traditional story of a young girl, but later you realize it´s complexity due to its strong erotic appeal which allows some vulgar expressions soften by a poetical writing.
It is possible to make some remarks when it comes to the characters. Marta is the protagonist of the story. She is an orphan who wishes to discover the limits of her sexuality, Antônia is the maid. The story does not mention his name but there is a character who is the father. A man who is sometimes careful and others, behaves like an animal hunting for food. His lack of name reveals the social caricature as a model of father for that society; traditional and careful with the daughter´s honor. The last one to be mentioned is Jerônimo, a man chosen by the father to get married to the protagonist.
The story starts with Marta, a sun worshiper, and ilustrates her provoking desire for freedom. Even though she faces a lot of obstacles imposed by traditionalism represented by her father, Marta wants to control her destiny. In a certain part of the story, to avoid committing incest, her father decides to find a husband to her daughter, Jerônimo, and the climax happens when Marta decides to have sex with Jerônimo convinced that he is her “man”.
Talking about sexual behavior, Marta is described as a woman with appetite for discoveries and is frequently compared to a bitch. This comparison is a peculiar way to relate the character to nature, to exemplify; Antonia is compared to a hen, because of her limited function of reproducing.
The story is set in the family´s house, the space around it, and the city. The house evokes a feeling of prison, something that let the protagonist in agony. In this sense, she prefers nature, where the feeling of freedom contributes for her to act the way she desires and finally the city, another alternative of freedom. All the elements are directly linked to the house where the story takes place. The spaces where the story happens, guides not only the plot, but also the feelings of the characters.
Marta´s body is revealed as “A casa da paixão”, which evokes Love, freedom and eroticism. This eroticism for Nélida, is a game that catches the reader´s eyes, bringing a reflection about human creation. The book gives the woman an extraordinary independence due to the fact that it considers sexuality in the same way as love. The elements of nature and Marta’s feelings are deeply related, demonstrating all kinds of sensations and fantasies.
In this book, the author is concerned with the reality of women who are subdued not only by the male in a vision in which control over the woman as an object of pleasure, but also the Christian view where the human body was seen as temple of reproduction, and also the fact of having sex after a religious ceremony. There is also a critic in some parts of the story about the way women react to the orders that were given to them.

References

AGUIAR E SILVA, Vitor Manuel. Teoria e Metodologia Literária. São Paulo: Almedina, 1979.

PIÑON, Nélida. A Casa da Paixão. Rio de Janeiro, Record, 1997.

SOARES, Angélica. Gêneros literários. Série princípios, 6º edição, 2000.

http://www2.fcsh.unl.pt/edtl/verbetes/R/romance_psicologico.htm - 08/10/2008

http://www.academia.org.br/ - 01/10/2008

http://www.camaraportuguesa.com.br/default.asp?pag=noticias&id_noticia=11378
5/10/2008 18:26:23