Death Without Weeping

Lordes is a 16-year old young Alto mother, whose child the author helps deliver in 1965. However, this child does not survive. Lordes works in the tomato fields, and does not receive appropriate prenatal attention. At the time of the delivery, the author notes the resignation and despair at the death of another infant. Lordes has eleven more pregnancies in the years following this. Only five of these pregnancies survive through early childhood. Lordes has two half-sisters, Biu and Antoinetta. 

Biu is a middle-aged Alto mother who works as a clandestina (undocumented worker) in the sugarcane fields. She is the half-sister of Lordes. As a clandestina, she does not have papers to work, and lacks even the meager security and protections that come with that. At 44 years old, Biu has had fifteen pregnancies; she believes herself to be "finished, washed-up" (53), yet continues to work to support herself and her family. At the time of this book's writing, she does not qualify for health care, and must spend a large portion of her small earnings at the local pharmacy. Despite this, Biu is fiercely independent, giving herself the soubriquet "Biu de Ninguem" ("Biu of Nobody").

Dr. Alfonso is the general manager of the Água Preta sugarcane plant, or usina. He is committed to the idea that the usina is a positive force in the community, providing work and limited healthcare for its employees. When prompted with questions about child mortality, he answers that child mortality has been drastically cut, though only on the usina. He believes that such complaints of widespread poverty and hunger are the work of political agitators, who want more government control over more areas of life. On the subject of land reform (and giving land to the lower classes), his opinion is that while agrarian reform is necessary, it is only a partial solution. His philosophy is that "every man should be the dono, the owner of his own self" (64). 

Seu Reinaldo is the eldest son of one of the most powerful families in Bom Jesus. He is a well-liked and respected man who has had success in the sugarcane industry. He is a firm supporter of both the modernization of the planting and processing process, although he worries privately what will happen to the vast majority of his workers once they are made redundant. He believes himself to be as much "captive" to them as they are to him. In his opinion, military rule enabled Brazil to enjoy even a modicum of stability. His lifestyle involves a great deal of leisure, and he lives comfortably. The author notes two things about Seu Reinaldo: the first is that he is only "functionally literate," and the second is that he has had to travel to the United States to receive care for schistosomiasis, a condition brought upon by unsafe drinking water.

Claudinho is a 31-year old dentist living in Bom Jesus. One of the Bom Jesus's "struggling bourgeoisie professional[s]" (31), Claudinho teaches biology on the weekends to supplement the income from his developing private practice. Claudinho advocate for "limited" military rule in Brazil, and dislikes the Catholic Church for what he believes to be insincere political agitation of the lower classes. Although boasting a part-time cook, chauffeur, nursemaid, and gardener, Claudinho believes he would be considered "poor" in the United States, and has difficulty believing otherwise. 

Dona Irene, known as "Black Irene" among the other pobres of her community, is a middle-aged woman who lives in Alto. She has a bad leg with a weeping abscess. She must go to her local prefetio, or mayor, to receive medical care, as she cannot afford medical care on her own. She must endure the humiliation of his refusal and seek out her typical patroa, whom she is avoiding. Insisting that she will not be able to work with the bad leg, her patroa spitefully gives her some money for the medicine. She remarks that "for a poor black like me" (109), she has no other options than to depend on the caprice of her social superiors for basic necessities, and continue to support her own family.

Felipa is the wife of a wealthy Bom Jesus businessman who comes to adopt an abandoned child named Maria Erva da Santa. Felipe believes that it was her Christian obligation to the poor that inspired her to take this child into her own home. As she relates the story of Maria's adoption to the author, it becomes apparent that the child has some unspecified developmental disorder; Felipa is aware of this, but seems to rationalize, even sacralize this condition as some evidence of the child's uniqueness, and refers to the child as a "little saint."It is clear, however, that Maria is not Felipe's "child" as such, but a favored domestic servant, although Maria's duties are light. Nevertheless, Felipa believes that she has "saved" this child from an uncertain, unhappy life, in fulfillment of her Christian ideals. 

Edilson is the 7-year-old son of Terezinha, a young mother who lives in the Alto. Every morning, Terezinha and her family undergo a ritual in which she must divide four already-small rolls of bread into halves for each member, knowing it will not be enough. The effects of chronic malnutrition are apparent in the household. Edilson is on the brink of starvation. As the author notes, the child has "more than once been given up for dead" (141). Edilson is thin and his belly is distended, a sign of the onset of starvation. When Terezinha has given up that Edilson will survive, Edilson says, "Hush Mãe, hush. I'm not afraid; I'm ready to go there" (142).

Antônio is an unemployed laborer from the Alto. Lacking regular work, he, his wife, and family of seven children are often hungry. He describes his anxiety on market day, having to go from friend to friend to essentially beg for the money necessary to buy groceries. Many of his friends are similarly unemployed or underemployed, and their desperation is as widespread as it is cyclical.

Seu Tomás is a 32-year old man from the Alto. The author is directed to his residence by a group of unemployed men. He is married with six living children. Although Seu Tomás has worked in the sugarcane industry or been unemployed for two years. He complains of a "weakness" in his lungs and a "tiredness," as well as dizziness and fainting spells, of which the doctors can find no signs of any specific illness. When visiting him, the author notes that his movements are stiff and awkward although the musculature and nervous response of his legs are adequate. Seu Tomás has a range of medicines for his ailments, but none are decisively effective. The ambiguousness of his illnesses is an example of the nervos that affects residents of the Alto.

Dona Célia is a member of the Alto community, famed as a powered mãe de santos, a priest/sorceress of Xangô, an Afro-Brazilian religion practiced in the region. She falls sick after Easter of 1987, complaining of nervos. She has a range of symptoms, such as a "vexation" in her chest, persistent nausea, and a bothersome itch. Few in the community can decide what troubles her, and a visit to the hospital reveals nothing. As the author looks on helplessly, Célia grows thinner and thinner, eventually dying. Because of her involvement in traditional religion, her illness is understood with an air of supernatural mystery, but the author describes her ambiguous symptoms and anorexia as another instance of the "madness" of hunger.

Nego De is the nickname of the teenaged son of Dona Irene (known as "Black Irene"). In 1989, he is forcibly abducted, likely by the paramilitary "death squads" known to snatch residents of the Alto accused of criminal or political activity. He never returns. Even after his disappearance, residents of the Alto do not talk openly about it, communicating in sign language, out of fear. The persistence of this fear among the residents is a strong illustration of the centrality of violence on the lower classes of the Alto. 

Dr. Ricardo is the Secretary of Health for Bom Jesus. When prompted about the greatest health risk to the residents of the city, he replies "stress."Only when pushed by the author on the question of child mortality does he answer that the rate of child death is an "absurdity."He cites the difficulty in both obtaining accurate figures and providing a working medical health structure to combat child mortality in the shantytowns. While the doctor cites child mortality as evidence of Brazil's "underdeveloped" state, the author cites his remarks as an example of the "social embarrassment" and "indifference" towards the lingering issue of child mortality in Brazil.

Dona Leona is a civil servant who works with the mayor's office in Bom Jesus. Among her primary duties is recording information on the vital statistics of Bom Jesus and the Alto. She interviews relatives and parents on the particulars of a child's birth and/or death. The author describes her as "distant" and "officious," even "dismissive" at times. However, the difficulties of Dona Leona's task become clear: often there is contradictory and ambiguous information, to be reconciled in an official account. Furthermore, the guidelines for interviews are often scant of relevant details. The author is confronted with an incomplete picture of infant mortality in the Alto, predicated as much by the scale of the crisis as the insufficiency of the official record-keeping process.

Zezinho is the second child of Lordes. Zezinho, or Zé, is ignored by his mother; she does not believe that he is destined to live. In 1966, the author, upon visiting Lordes's household, takes Zezinho into her care, against the advice of Lordes and the other mothers. After much effort and anxiety, Zezinho eventually survives, becoming her mother's favorite. In 1982, he, Lordes, and the author are reunited in Bom Jesus. He and his mother are still remarkably close, despite her apparent neglect those many years ago. Zezinho is devoted to his mother, working to support the household. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes again: Zezinho is murdered during the feast of São Pedro by the jealous husband of a lover who has lied to him about her marriage. 

Dona Maria is a midwife and folk healer of Bom Jesus. Dona Maria experiences nearly every category of infant death possible for the mothers of the Alto; she insists to the author that there are at least twenty-one types of child sickness, the symptoms and causes of which are mutually inclusive and difficult to separate. Dona Maria has, at times, a fatalistic attitude towards the care of sick infants: in describing the various ailments that afflict infants and young children, she explains that some of these she can cure, but, in the case of others, "God hasn't given it to me to cure them" (371). Her attitude is emblematic of many in the community, who perform the rationalization that infant and child death is the decision of God, presumably to spare the child and the family from misfortune.

Anita is a young mother from the Alto. She has just buried her three-month-old daughter. When interviewed by the author, she assures the author that she does not feel "sad."The author's confusion is addressed by other women, who explain that for these women, the loss of an infant is a small loss, as the infant has no history, no memories with which to populate that loss. For Anita, the author learns, it is only when the child begins to accrue an individual character―typically eight, or nine months―that the loss begins to be especially poignant.

Antoinetta is a middle-aged mother from the Alto. She is the half-sister of Lordes and Biu. Antoinetta is the oldest of the three; she is believed to have had a "charmed life," and indeed, she has managed to avoid many of the problems and tragedies that befell her younger sisters. Antoinetta was happily married for many years to Severino, and has had fifteen pregnancies. The author notes that Antoinetta has proven most adept at using wit and trickery to get what she wants out of others. However, she is loyal and generous to her family and close friends.

Padre Agostino Leal is the local priest of Bom Jesus. He comments on the meaning of carnaval for the people of Northeast Brazil, and Catholics in general. Although he notes carnaval is a celebration of the flesh, he does not believe that Christians ought to condemn it. He sees it as much as a preparation for Lent and a form of collective expression as "psychotherapy for the popular classes" (496). He also explains that the joy of carnaval comes from the deep pain and suffering people in the community endure. 

Mercea is Biu's 3-year old daughter. She is Biu's youngest and favorite. For some time, she has had a severe cough, yet the family does not have the means for her to seek proper treatment outside of Bom Jesus. During carnaval, her persistent cough rapidly degrades into pneumonia, and she dies. The family buries her on Ash Wednesday. For the family, it is a tremendous blow, especially for Biu. 

Frei Damião is a popular religious figure of the Brazilian Northeast and renowned as a miracle worker. Barefoot and hunchbacked, he exhorts both the corruption of everything earthly and sensual and the injustice of modern society. As much due to his unusual appearance as his fiery message, he is seen as a holy figure, and the subject of many fantastical stories. However, his exhortations against the greed and cruelty of the upper classes connect him to the liberation theology agenda of the "new church."