Based on the analysis, Dona Maria’s characteristic is described as lonely. Since she was a child, she has no one to share her feelings with. Her parents are
too busy and neglect her. Her husband also does not give attention and caring. And until her daughter is born, she cannot share her feeling since her daughter
rejects and leaves her. That situation leads her to live in loneliness. Dona Maria is a miserable person because she is never loved by her
surroundings. Her parents neglect her; her husband does not give her love and attention and her daughter rejects her and moves to Spain. It is also described in
the novel that Dona Maria is not good-looking. She has unattractive appearance and inability in speaking fluently. The experiences of being rejected leads Dona
Maria lose her self-confidence. It is shown when she has a dialogue with Perichole. She assumes that she is a stupid old woman; she feels unworthy and
does not deserve to be a mother of a beautiful and brilliant girl. Dona Maria also shows herself to be an unfaithful Christian when she
practices voodoo for her daughter’s pregnancy. She marks every second step on the stairs; and someone who accidentally steps on the mark will be driven from
the house with tears and scream. She believes it will protect her daughter when she is giving birth. I also conclude that Dona Maria is an introvert because she
prefers to be alone and never share her feeling with others. She is unaware of Pepita’s existence.
2. The Conclusion of the Influence of the Absence of Love in Dona Maria’s Behavior
Based on the analysis, Dona Maria is suffering because of lack of affection and attention from her parents and her husband. It is getting worse when her
daughter also abandons her. She longs for love and belongingness. The absence of love in her life influences her behavior and her relationship with her daughter.
From the analysis, the absence of love influences Dona Maria’s behavior. First, she neglects her appearance. Dona Maria feels despair about her life. She
believes there is no joy and love in her life. Her despair influences her life physically. She does not care about her appearance anymore. Second, she is
getting drunk to escape from her bitter life. Awareness hurts her; her mind directs her to believe that her life is awful. Third, she is daydreaming. Dona Maria is busy
thinking about her daughter for she dreams of reconciliation with her daughter. Fourth, she withdraws herself. Living in depression, Dona Maria tries to cover her
stress by withdrawing herself. She refuses to face problems. From the analysis, I also conclude the influence of the absence of love in
Dona Maria’s personal relationship with her daughter. Dona Maria becomes possessive toward her daughter. Since Dona Maria is longing for love and
appreciation from her daughter, she is afraid of losing her daughter. She also becomes obsessive toward her daughter. Dona Maria believes that the only person
who can fulfill her needs of love is her only daughter. And the last is she expresses love in a wrong way. Dona Maria has no idea of loving since she is
never loved before. Unconsciously, she regards what her parents did to her as the experiences of love. She tries to express her love by giving her daughter so much
money and gifts. She also cannot prevent herself to treat her daughter sarcastically
