the alienist is a work by the Brazilian writer Machado de Assis that was published in 1882. Divided into 13 chapters with titles, it is part of the Realism movement in Brazil.
Did you know?
Alienist is a doctor specializing in mental illness, that is, a psychiatrist.
Work Summary
The work revolves around the story of Simão Bacamarte, a respected doctor who traveled throughout Europe and Brazil.
When he created an office in the Brazilian city of Itaguaí, he decided to marry a widow: Dona Evarista. The relationship was not based on love, but on the possibility of having children. Simão believed that Evarista would be a good partner for his purpose, however, they never had children.
Later, he decides to create an insane asylum in the city, which was named Casa Verde. Committed to his studies in psychiatry, Simão began to have many inmates who lived in Itaguaí and surroundings.
That's because the doctor began to see madness in many people. Costa, a man who lost all his heritage, was considered insane by the alienist.
These attitudes begin to make the citizens of the city apprehensive, which generates a movement led by the barber Porfírio. The movement, which became known as “Revolta do Canjica”, had been named that way because Canjica was the barber's nickname.
In front of the protests in front of his house, the doctor receives the mass with indifference and returns to his duties. However, Porfirio had the intention of pursuing a political career and, when he called Simão for a meeting, he ended up allying himself with him. And hospitalizations continue in the city.
Due to the hospitalization of the 50 members who were supporting Porfírio's revolution, another barber in the city, João Pina, is able to assist in the deposition of Canjica.
Although everyone tried to fight to end Casa Verde, the place grew stronger over time. In a part of the work, even Dona Evarista, wife of Alienista, is hospitalized. All because she'd had a bad night's sleep.
When 75% of the city was interned, Simão decided to go back and release all the inmates, certain that his theory was wrong.
Thus, the alienist starts to hospitalize other people again, this time following another theory. The first inmate is Galvão, the town councilor.
Later, he concludes that his theory is wrong again, so he releases all the patients admitted to Casa Verde and concludes that he was the crazy one.
So, the alienist decides to lock himself in Casa Verde, where he died seventeen months later.
Characters
The main characters in the work are:
- Simão Bacamarte: renowned doctor and protagonist of the work.
- D. Evarist: Simon's widow and wife.
- Galvão: city councilor.
- Coast: man considered crazy by the alienist.
- porphyry: city barber, interested in a political career.
- João Pina: another barber in town.
- Crispim Soares: friend of Simão and apothecary of the city.
- Father Lopes: Vicar of the city.
Work Analysis
Full of a humorous and ironic tone, the work of Machado de Assis has a omniscient narrator.
Narrated in third person, the book reveals the dedication of Doctor Simão who, in fact, becomes obsessed with his studies in the field of psychiatry.
In addition, he addresses the themes of political interests, ambition and power in the figure of Porfirio. To achieve his goal, this character ends up giving in and joining the alienist.
The social criticism and the psychological analysis of the characters reveal the realist phase of Machado de Assis.
Behavior, attitudes, interests, social relationships and human selfishness are put on the agenda. Madness and sanity present a fine line in the author's view.
For some, this work is considered a short story, for others it contains the narrative structure and characteristics of a novel.
Check the entire work by downloading the PDF here: the alienist.
Film
Machado de Assis' work was turned into a film in 1970. Entitled "azyllo very crazy” was directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos.
In 1993, the Globo television network created a miniseries based on Machado's work called “The Alienist and the Adventures of a Barnabas”.
The Alienist in Comics
O Alienista in comics, version by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá
Transformed into comic books (Comic), there are several versions of this work, of which we cite the productions of Cesar Lobo and Luiz Antonio Aguiar, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá and Francisco S. Vilachã.
In the first version mentioned, strong colors predominate, while in the version by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá the sepia tone predominates. Francisco S. Vilachã, in turn, uses pastel tones.
Read too:
- Machado de Assis
- Realism in Brazil
- The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas
- Dom Casmurro
- Quincas Borba