Who He Is
Old parasite of Miranda's house, former commercial clerk and slave broker who lost his fortune and now languishes in the shadow of the townhouse, full of rancor against those who have what he never had. He listens to the complaints of each of the house's owners against the other and agrees with both; he adores everything that smells of a uniform, though he is afraid of firearms. He serves as go-between for João Romão with the townhouse, to whom he sells a bridge to Miranda's daughter, and it is his question that gives the shopkeeper the idea of returning Bertoleza to her owner.
Trajectory
Guest and parasite of the merchant, on whom he depends out of necessity, he vents his rancor by reviling the ideas of the day and loses his composure when the table talks of the abolitionist movement (chapter II).
A virtude, a beleza, o talento, a mocidade, a força, a saúde, e principalmente a fortuna, eis o que ele não perdoava a ninguém, Virtue, beauty, talent, youth, strength, health, and above all fortune, these were what he did not forgive anyone for
Law of the Free Womb, of September 28, 1871, which declared free the children of enslaved women born from then on:
o movimento abolicionista que principiava a formar-se em torno da lei Rio Branco, the abolitionist movement that was beginning to form around the Rio Branco law
He catches Dona Estela with Henrique in a corner of the backyard and, instead of denouncing them, tells them he saw nothing, that he finds it all natural, and that from then on he will protect the young man's business dealings with the lady (chapter II).
Se vi, creia, foi como se nada visse, porque nada tenho a cheirar com a vida de cada um!..., If I saw, believe me, it was as if I saw nothing, because I have no business poking my nose into anyone's life!...
On the Sunday of the pagode he glimpses at the window, indifferent, with the contempt of those who no longer expect anything (chapter VII); at the title party he helps with the arrangements (chapter X).
E via-se de relance Dona Estela, com a sua palidez de flor meia fanada, e Zulmira, lívida, um ar de fastio a fazê-la feia, e o Henriquinho, cada vez mais bonito, e o velho Botelho, indiferente, a olhar para toda esta porcaria do mundo com o profundo desprezo dos que já não esperam nada dos outros, nem de si próprios., And one glimpsed Dona Estela, with her pallor of a half-withered flower, and Zulmira, livid, with an air of boredom that made her ugly, and little Henrique, ever more handsome, and the old Botelho, indifferent, looking at all this filth of the world with the deep contempt of those who no longer expect anything from others, nor from themselves.
He approaches João Romão and proposes to build the bridge to Zulmira, for which he asks twenty contos de réis, with the paper payable upon the marriage; the shopkeeper offers ten and then fifteen and closes at twenty (chapter XIII).
Botelho queria vinte contos de réis, e com papel passado a prazo de casamento; o outro oferecia dez., Botelho wanted twenty contos de réis, with the paper payable upon marriage; the other offered ten.
From the Baron's window, during the battle between the two gangs, he shouts cheers and bellows military commands (chapter XVII). When the construction moves ahead, he warns João Romão that he has already spoken to the Baron on his behalf and advises him to go all in (chapter XIX).
Atire-se, seu João, atire-se enquanto o angu está quente!, Go for it, João, strike while the iron is hot!
He turns up at João Romão's with the news that Dona Estela turns up her nose at the black woman, advises a food stall in another neighborhood and, in the street, asks whether Bertoleza was enslaved when João Romão took charge of her (chapter XXI).
Lá em casa rosnou!... O Miranda defende-o, afirma que não... Ah! Aquilo é uma grande alma! Mas Dona Estela, você sabe o que são as mulheres!... Torce o nariz e... Em uma palavra: receio que esta história nos traga qualquer embaraço!..., At home she growled!... Miranda defends him, says it isn't so... Ah! He's a great soul! But Dona Estela, you know what women are!... She turns up her nose and... In a word: I fear this story will bring us some embarrassment!...
Botelho perguntou se Bertoleza era escrava quando João Romão tomou conta dela., Botelho asked whether Bertoleza was enslaved when João Romão took charge of her.
Ora! Então a coisa é simples!... Mande-a p’ro dono!, Well! Then the thing is simple!... Send her back to her owner!
He takes on the job for two hundred milreis (chapter XXI). At the confectionery he warns that the owner is coming with the police, insists the shopkeeper be at home for the scene, and suggests a balance of five hundred milreis to Bertoleza, "para fazer a coisa à fidalga" (to do the thing like gentlefolk), and looks for João Romão's eye as the victoria passes with Pombinha and Henrique (chapter XXIII).
Themes Embodied
The standard themes that run through him are Envy, Loyalty and Betrayal, and Slavery. On stage, his past as a slave broker connects him to the theme, and the bridge he sells, the advice he gives and the question he asks make him the go-between of the townhouse and the tenement.
The book gives Botelho a rancor with no destination and then offers him destinations: hatred of the era over dessert at Miranda's, Estela's secret, the bridge to Zulmira, the question about Bertoleza. In two of them he offers what he knows as a favor, silence and the bridge; in the others he asks or advises, and the final step always belongs to the one he serves.
Botelho lives by being heard by those who support him, and so, on stage, he tends to agree: with Miranda against Estela, with Estela against Miranda, with João Romão against Bertoleza. It can be read as the prudence of a parasite or as the pleasure of someone who knows what others hide, and the book does not decide between the two.
Relationships
- Miranda: the head of the house who supports him and whose complaints about his wife he listens to.
- Dona Estela: the lady whose secret he keeps, and whom he protects with Henrique.
- Henrique: the young man to whom he promises protection and who pulls away from his affection.
- João Romão: the shopkeeper to whom he sells the bridge to the townhouse and whom he inspires to return Bertoleza.
- Bertoleza: the woman whose enslaved condition he uncovers with a question asked on the way.