Machado de Assis and the chronicle: “Martinha’s Dagger” - the dialogical debate of memory

Abstract

This paper contemplates the social orientation of memory as a space of dialogical debates over the facts that constitutes themselves, by contraposition and confrontation, as recollections or memories forgotten. From the centripetal forces perspective, there are the facts that ought to be remembered but also those that must be forgotten and left as residues. Paradoxically, when the centrifugal forces approach forgetfulness in such manner they appropriate this semiotic matter reconnecting the recollection as a festival of resurrection of its social sense. Considering this ideological division scenery and acknowledging a certain exceedance and exteriority on our approach of Machado de Assis’ story, “O Punhal de Martinha” (Martinha’s dagger), this text analyzes the refractions suggested by the author-creator whilst he axiologically claims forgetfulness as the social place of action of the centrifugal forces. “The dagger” as a sign or a social response derived from the contraposition or confrontation of the social voices starts to be considered as a metonymy of the responses of social rating/evaluation that the centripetal and the centrifugal forces attach to the ideologized position of women in social interactions as they place men as the dominant beings. In the author-creator’s refractions it is highlighted the recollection of what was supposed to be forgotten, therefore, women’s social independence and assertiveness. Hence, it is impossible to forget Martinha as it was aimed by centrifugal forces though it is possible to remember Lucrécia as it was intended by the centripetal forces when they favour subordination and non-assertiveness while regarding women’s social position.