sarcasms in an effort to arouse some social charms and force her to go about the town in a veritable harness of jewels” 14.
5. Dona Maria is unconfident
Relating to the theory that experiences of being rejected can cause some psychological effects such as loneliness, reduced self-esteem, aggression and
depression, it can also lead to feelings of insecurity and a heightened sensitivity to future rejection. The experience of being rejected by Dona Clara also causes bad
effects on her perception about herself. Living in depression leads Dona Maria to lose her self-esteem.
Dona Maria feels that all the people in her surrounding always reject her, moreover when her daughter leaves her alone. The situation of being rejected has
a great impact on Dona Maria’s character. She thinks that her family abandoned her because of her faults. She feels unworthy and unloved. She has nothing to be
proud of. It can be seen in her dialogue with Perichole, an artist who insults her in the theater. Dona Maria says that her daughter and Perichole are great women, but
she is nothing. Dona Maria admires her daughter so much as she admires Perichole. It is not proper if Perichole asks apology to Dona Maria.
“Offended, offended at you, my beautiful,… my gifted child?Who am I, a…an unwise and unloved old woman, to be offended at you? I felt, my
daughter, as though I were-what says the poet?-surprising through a cloud the conversation of the angels” 35.
The quotation above shows how Dona Maria is struck with amazement and admiration of Perichole and she feels so unreasonable for Perichole asking
apology to her.
“I am glad you are here,” she continued,” for now you have heard from my own lips that she is not unkind to me, as some people say. Listen,
senora, the fault was mine. Look at me. Look at me. There was some mistake that made me the mother of so beautiful a girl. I am difficult. I
am trying. You and she are great women. No, do not stop me: you are rare woman, and I am only a nervous… a foolish…a stupid woman. Let
me kiss your feet. I am impossible. I am impossible. I am impossible” 38.
From the conversation in the dialogue above, Dona Maria wants to convince Perichole that what happen to her is her fault. It is her fault because she
is a mother of a beautiful and brilliant girl. While, she believes that she is only a stupid and ugly mother. She cannot be an idol-mother for her daughter. Therefore,
it is fair if Dona Clara left her alone in desperation. It shows that Dona Maria really loses her self-confidence. She feels so little and has nothing to be proud of
in front of her daughter.
6. Dona Maria is an unfaithful Christian
Feeling of being unloved makes Dona Maria loses her faith in God. The only thing she wants from God is her daughter to love her, but she cannot get it.
Her daughter’s rejection and her assumption that no one really loves her leads her to believe that God does not love her either.
“The knowledge that she would never be loved in return acted upon her ideas as a tide acts upon cliffs. Her religious beliefs went first, for all she
could ask of a God, or of immortality, was the gift of a place where daughters love their mothers; the other attribute of Heaven you could
have for a song” 20- 21.
Another situation that shows Dona Maria is not a faithful Christian is when she hears about her daughter’s pregnancy. Dona Maria is worried about it,
as she knows that her daughter will become a mother. If Dona Clara is being a
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