Dôra, Doralina: Analysis of Major Characters
"Dôra, Doralina: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate lives of the central figures surrounding Maria das Dores, known as Dôra or Doralina. As the narrator, Dôra recounts her journey from a tumultuous adolescence to adulthood, marked by her marriage to Laurindo Quirino and her experiences as an actress touring Brazil. Her relationships are complex, particularly with her mother, Senhora, whose cold demeanor shapes Dôra's quest for independence and eventual return to the family ranch, Soledade.
The narrative also explores Dôra's ties with significant characters such as the charming bandit Raimundo Delmiro, who becomes a figure of both comfort and conflict in her life; and Asmodeu Lucas, affectionately referred to as the Captain, whose passionate yet troubled relationship with Dôra unfolds in Rio de Janeiro. Other notable figures include Carleto Brandini, the impresario who introduces Dôra to the theatrical world, and his supportive wife, Estrela, who becomes a dear friend. The story is rich with themes of love, rivalry, and the struggle for personal identity amidst societal expectations, offering a poignant exploration of the characters' interwoven destinies against the backdrop of Brazilian culture.
Dôra, Doralina: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Rachel de Queiroz
First published: 1975 (English translation, 1984)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Brazil
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1930's to the 1940's
Maria das Dores, called Dôra or Doralina, the narrator and central character, who recounts her life from her late teenage years through her marriage, her career as an actress traveling around Brazil, her years in Rio de Janeiro, and her return to the Northeastern ranch where she was reared. Her ambivalent relationship with her mother is not resolved until the end, when she takes her mother's place as the head of the Soledade ranch. Dôra's resentment of her mother leads to early acts of defiance: She shelters and protects a wounded bandit, Raimundo Delmiro, when she is fourteen years old and at twenty-two marries a young surveyor, Laurindo Quirino, who courts both Dôra and her mother. Twenty-six years old when Laurindo dies, she leaves the ranch and lives for a time in the nearby city of Fortaleza, then joins an itinerant company of actors, using the stage name of Nely Sorel. The company tours Brazil and, as it travels toward Rio, Dôra meets a handsome ship captain and falls in love. She and the Captain settle in Rio, living there for a number of years. When he dies of typhoid, she seeks refuge at Soledade and busies herself putting the long-neglected ranch back into good running order.
Senhora, Dôra's mother, widowed when Dôra was young. She presides over the Soledade ranch and the people who live there. Dôra feels that her mother is cold and uncommunicative, that she never really shares her life or her power with her daughter but instead considers her to be a competitor and rival. Only when her mother dies does Dôra feel that she can go home again to Soledade and make a life for herself there.
Laurindo Quirino (kih-REE-new), a distant relative of Senhora's family, an agricultural engineer and a surveyor who covets the Soledade ranch and becomes Dôra's husband and Senhora's lover. He dies young in a mysterious shooting accident for which Delmiro may be responsible.
Asmodeu Lucas (azh-meh-DAY-ew), called the Captain, the great love of Dôra's life. Originally a river pilot from Pirapora, Minas, Lucas is captain of the ship J. J. Seabra when Dôra meets him. When he loses that job because he is caught smuggling diamonds, Lucas moves in with Dôra in Rio, becomes involved in a new smuggling enterprise, and also works as a police academy shooting instructor. He and Dôra live together in Rio for many years, until he dies of typhoid.
Raimundo Delmiro, a bandit pursued by the police when he first appears at Soledade. He lives out his life on an isolated corner of the ranch. It is Dôra who gives him medical aid, and she is the only one to whom he confides the story of his life. She allows him to recuperate on the ranch and then gives him a patch of land on which to live. Grateful and loyal only to Dôra, Delmiro is with her when she discovers Laurindo's liaison with her mother. He is almost surely responsible for Laurindo's subsequent death in a shooting accident. He continues to live a hermitlike existence on the ranch and dies shortly before Dôra's return to Soledade.
Carleto Brandini, a man of great charm and generosity, impresario of the theatrical company he persuades Dôra to join in Fortaleza. In addition to organizing the company and its performances, he writes or adapts the plays and musicals it performs and sings the lead roles. He and his wife, Estrela, become Dôra's best friends. Dôra lives with them for a time in Rio before she and the Captain move into their own house.
Estrela Vésper Brandini, the leading actress of the theatrical company, wife of its impresario, and a kind, generous friend to Dôra through their many years of close association. She invites Dôra (and later the Captain as well) to stay at their house in Rio and is a supportive friend during their many difficulties.
Francisca Xavier (Xavinha) Miranda, a distant relative of Senhora's family, a faithful housekeeper and seamstress at Soledade who serves first Senhora and later Dôra. It is Xavinha who writes to Dôra during her years away from Soledade.