“What psychological and philosophical devices does Macabea employ as a means of coping with her perpetual state of destitution?”

On several occasions during the story, Macabea is noted by the narrator to have nearly considered the utter depravity of her external conditions. However, she avoids despair by simply accepting such things as she encounters them in particular moments, rarely pausing to reflect upon the gravity of her reality. An early example of this occurs as the narrator is describing her physical appearance and lack of decent food, and she is quoted as saying “it is so because it is so” (55). This tendency also manifests itself in her conception of the divine when it is revealed that despite her frequent recital of prayers, she does not believe in God since she never observes Him firsthand (81). Later, upon being fatally struck by a car following her meeting with the fortune teller, she promptly examines some nearby grass and rejoices as having been “born for death’s embrace” (441).