User:Arl 67/Muiraquitã

Macunaíma
Mário de Andrade (1893-1945) a writer, poet, and musician, born in Brazil, is considered one of the most influential figures in Brazilian literature and culture. A leading member of the Modernist movement in Brazil during the 1920s and 1930s, de Andrade's impressive work was distinguished by its engagement with Brazilian folklore and culture. He worked “to define a vision to which artists could adhere, through generations and ensuing trends, and claimed that actualizing postwar European models of constructive modernist tendencies could make possible a similar renovation of Brazilian culture.” He aimed to emphasize Brazilian native culture in modern Brazil while moving away from the Eurocentric narratives that dominated Brazilian culture.

One of de Andrade's most famous modernist works is his novel Macunaíma: The Hero with No Character. The story is considered a fictional masterpiece that “opened up new themes, a new Brazilian language for fiction.” Macunaíma, tells the story of a young man named Macunaíma, who was born in the Brazilian jungle, as he embarks on a series of adventures where he encounters strange characters along the way. On one of his adventures, Macunaíma loses his Muiraquitã, which signified the only link left between Macunaíma and his wife Ci, who gave him the amulet before departing to the skies after the death of their son. There is a legend that says that Amazonian warrior women couldn’t have long-lasting relationships with men, therefore gifting the Muiraquitã to a man represented a symbolic alliance between the man and the woman. Ci, an Amazonian warrior woman, giving the Muiraquitã to Macunaíma, who is “the hero of our people”, in the story came to “represent a union between Brazilian people and tropical nature.” The union between Ci and Macunaíma becomes the “high point of the hero’s happiness and tranquility” which is why the Muiraquitã holds significant value for Macunaíma. The loss of the Muiraquitã prompts Macunaíma on a journey to search for the amulet, becoming a driving force in the story.