Philosopher or Dog? by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
"Philosopher or Dog?" is a novel by Brazilian writer Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, published in 1891. The story follows Rubião, a teacher who inherits a fortune from his friend Quincas Borba, a self-styled philosopher, under the condition that he cares for Borba's dog, also named Quincas Borba, as if it were human. As Rubião relocates from Barbacena to Rio de Janeiro, he becomes entangled in a web of relationships marked by infatuation, friendship, and manipulation. His growing obsession with Sophia, the wife of a business partner, leads to misunderstandings and emotional turmoil, which are compounded by the influence of various opportunistic characters around him.
As Rubião's wealth diminishes, he begins to experience mental decline, believing himself to be Napoleon III. His descent into madness highlights themes of friendship, morality, and the nature of reality in a rapidly changing society. Ultimately, Rubião's journey reflects the complexities of human relationships and the fragility of sanity, culminating in his eventual return to Barbacena, where both he and the dog meet their ends. The novel examines philosophical questions through a blend of social commentary and a nuanced exploration of the human psyche.
On this Page
Philosopher or Dog? by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
First published:Quincas Borba, 1891 (English translation, 1954)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of plot: 1869-1872
Locale: Rio de Janiero and Barbacena, Brazil
Principal characters
Rubião (Pedro Rubião de Alvarenga) , the protagonistChristiano de Almeida e Palha , an entrepreneurSophia , Christiano’s wifeMaria Benedicta , her cousinCarlos Maria , an arrogant young manDr. João de Souza Camacho , a lawyer and publisherDoña Tonica , an unmarried, middle-aged womanQuincas Borba , a dog named for his late ownerDoña Fernanda , a kind woman
The Story:
Quincas Borba (Joaquim Borba dos Santos), a wealthy man and a self-proclaimed philosopher, dies and leaves his large estate to his friend, Rubião, a teacher. The only condition of the bequest is that Rubião care for Quincas Borba’s dog, also named Quincas Borba, as if the dog were human. Rubião travels from the provincial town of Barbacena to the city of Rio de Janiero to establish himself with his newly inherited wealth. On the train, he meets Christiano Palha and Palha’s wife, Sophia. Rubião soon becomes infatuated with Sophia.
In Rio, Palha borrows money from Rubião to invest in business, and the two men become partners. Rubião also meets Carlos Maria, an arrogant young man, and Freitas, an unsuccessful middle-aged man, who exploit Rubião for his wealth and innocence. Major Siqueira and his thirty-nine-year-old daughter, Doña Tonica, attach themselves to Rubião, hoping that Rubião will marry Doña Tonica, who meanwhile becomes jealous of Sophia.
Rubião misinterprets as a love offering a box of strawberries Sophia had sent him. At the Palhas’s house in Santa Thereza, he clutches her hand and makes his affection clear to her. Distressed by Rubião’s advances, Sophia suggests to her husband that they end their relationship with Rubião. Having borrowed money from Rubião, however, Palha is reluctant to break with him.
Guilt-ridden about his infatuation with Sophia, Rubião begins to worry that the deceased Quincas Borba has somehow transmigrated into his dog’s body. This anxiety is one of the first signs of Rubaio’s impending madness.
Rubião becomes friends with Dr. Camacho, a lawyer and the editor of a politically oriented newspaper called Atalaia. On his way to meet Dr. Camacho, Rubião rescues a small child, Deolindo, in danger of being run over by a carriage and horses. Rubião then goes on to Dr. Camacho’s office, where he subscribes generously to the capital fund for Atalaia. Dr. Camacho flatters Rubião by publishing an account of Rubião’s heroism in saving Deolindo. Although Rubião is at first modest and dismissive about his heroism, as he reads Camacho’s account he becomes increasingly self-important.
Maria Benedicta, Sophia’s young cousin, is another potential wife for Rubião, but Rubião is too infatuated with Sophia to be interested in Maria Benedicta. After the incident at Santa Thereza, Rubião appears more cosmopolitan and confident. He spends his inherited money freely, often in support of others in addition to Palha and Dr. Camacho. When his impoverished friend, Freitas, falls ill, Rubião generously gives Freitas’s mother a substantial sum of money. Later, he pays Freitas’s funeral expenses.
Rubião tries to stay away from Sophia, but he finds an envelope addressed in Sophia’s handwriting to Carlos Maria. When he confronts her with the envelope, she tells him to open it. He refuses and leaves. Although Carlos Maria had flirted with Sophia, the envelope contains only a circular about a charitable committee on which Sophia serves.
Palha’s business flourishes as Rubião’s wealth begins to dwindle. Rubião becomes subject to fits of madness, believing that he is Napoleon III of France. When Rubião gets into a carriage alone with Sophia, she thinks he is still attracted to her. She panics and orders him to get out. Thinking he is Napoleon III, Rubião treats Sophia as if she were the emperor’s mistress, but eventually he leaves the carriage.
After Carlos Maria’s flirtation with Sophia, Doña Fernanda acts as a matchmaker and brings Carlos Maria and Maria Benedicta together. Although Maria Benedicta is not beautiful, Carlos Maria marries her because she adores him. Following their marriage, they travel to Europe, returning to Rio de Janiero after Maria Benedicta becomes pregnant.
For a time, Rubião’s friends accept his madness as he continues to provide meals and entertainment for them. Eventually, however, Rubião’s house falls into disrepair as his belief in himself as the emperor becomes constant. Doña Tonica becomes engaged to a man who dies before the wedding. Children on the street, including Deolindo, whose life Rubião had saved, make fun of him as a madman. Prodded by Doña Fernanda, a woman who barely knows Rubião, Sophia convinces Palha to set Rubião up in a little rented house on Principe Street. No one visits Rubião in his new humble residence. His former “friends” miss the luxury of Rubião’s wealthy surroundings in the house in Botafogo.
Rubião continues to believe he is Napoleon III, but Doña Fernanda thinks he can be cured. She manages to get him to enter an asylum. She also rescues Quincas Borba and sends the dog to the sanatorium to be with Rubião. After a short time, appearing to be regaining his sanity, Rubião escapes the asylum and returns to Barbacena with Quincas Borba, his only friend. Rubião dies there, and within three days, Quincas Borba dies there as well.
Bibliography
Caldwell, Helen. Machado de Assis: The Brazilian Master and His Novels. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970. Caldwell was one of the first to translate Machado de Assis’s work into English. Her chapter on Philosopher or Dog? provides a succinct and helpful overview of the major themes and unities of the novel, which she calls “a subtle web of allusion and symbol.”
Duarte, Eduardo de Assis. “Machado de Assis’s African Descent.” Research in African Literatures 38, no. 1 (Spring, 2007): 134-151. Focuses on how Machado de Assis’s work expresses his African ancestry in regard to slavery and interracial relations in nineteenth century Brazil.
Fitz, Earl. Machado de Assis. Boston: Twayne, 1989. A good introduction to Machado de Assis’s work. Contains chapters on the major themes, analysis of style and technique in his work, including Philosopher or Dog?, and an annotated bibliography.
Graham, Richard, ed. Machado de Assis: Reflections on a Brazilian Master Writer. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999. Essays by noted scholars address, among other topics, the question of the realism or antirealism of Machado de Assis’s novels, which “are full of subtle irony, relentless psychological insights, and brilliant literary innovations.”
Kristal, Efraín, and José Luiz Passos. “Machado de Assis and the Question of Brazilian National Identity.” In Brazil in the Making: Facets of National Identity, edited by Carmen Nava and Ludwig Lauerhass, Jr. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. This essay discussing Machado de Assis’s impact on Brazilian identity is included in a collection examining the character of the country and its citizens.
Nuñes, Maria Luisa. The Craft of an Absolute Winner: Characterization and Narratology in the Novels of Machado de Assis. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1983. Gives a detailed analysis of Machado de Assis’s handling of characterization and narrative technique in his novels, including Philosopher or Dog?