Question: How does treatment toward Macabea reflect the gender roles ans sexuality within Brazil during this period?

Throughout the novel, themes of gender and sexuality in Brazil are present. Macabea, the main character, is an innocent and unaware young woman in Brazilian society. Her virginity is constantly referred to by the narrator and by her ex-boyfriend Olimpico.  For example, there are several times throughout the book where Olimpico says the only reason he is not using bad words to refer to Macabea is because she is a virgin (41; 46; 53). Another time gender and sexuality is brought up is when Macabea asks Olimpico what “elegebra” is, in which he responds that only queers know elegebra (41). When Macabea  further questions Olimpico on topics she learned by listening to the radio that Olimpico didn’t know, Olimpico would question whether a virgin should be saying those words in the first place (46). Sexuality is also mentioned when Macabea gets excited while looking at a photo of Olimpico, in which she responded by praying to calm down. Gender roles are also addressed for men when Olimpico tries to pick Macabea up and drops her, which leads him to feel embarrassed (44). Gender roles for women were evident when Macabea was cleaning herself up after the fall as  she used her skirt and did not want Olimpico to watch her because it was not lady-like (44). All of these examples show that it was excepted for women to be docile, pure, and abstinent. It also shows that men were expected to be physically strong and intelligent.