mother; she will know what Dona Maria feels as a mother. Hopefully, Dona Clara will love her. So, this event is an important thing for Dona Maria, she wants her
daughter to give birth to her child in a good condition. She does everything that she believes can help her daughter in the delivery. Dona Maria practices a
superstitious belief for her child’s protection. She does not allow a knot in the house, as it is a symbol of bad luck. She also marks every second step on the
stairs; and someone who accidentally steps on the mark will be driven from the house with tears and screams.
“She fell into the most abominable superstition. She practiced a degrading system of taboos for a child’s protection. She refused to allow
a knot in the house. The maids were forbidden to tie up their hair and she concealed upon her person ridiculous symbols of a happy delivery. On
the stairs the even steps were marked with red chalk and a maid who accidentally stepped upon an even step was driven from the house with
tears and screams” 46.
Even though Dona Maria also follows religious belief, it cannot prove that she is a good Christian. She does it because she is not satisfied if she only applies
the rites of pagan worship. She wishes God will give a sign whether the delivery will be alright. She does both superstitious and religious belief to make the
efficacy greater. It shows that Dona Maria does not really believe in God. “But the Marquesa did not only satisfy the rites of paganism; she studied
the prescriptions of Christianity as well. She arose in the dark and stumbled through the streets to the earliest Masses. She hysterically
hugged the altar-rails trying to rend from the gaudy statuettes a sign, only a sign, the ghost of a smile, the furtive nod of a waxen head. Would
all be well? Sweet, sweet mother, would all be well?” 47.
B. The Influence of the Absence of Love on Dona Maria’s Behavior
To analyze deeper how the absence of love influences Dona Maria’s behavior, I divide this analysis into two parts. The first part is love experienced by
Dona Maria. The second part is the influence of the absence of love on Dona Maria’s behavior.
1. Love Experienced by Dona Maria
Since the analysis deals with the influence of the absence of love on Dona Maria’s behavior and her personal relationship, it is important to know
better how she experienced love during her childhood up to her marriage.
a In Her Childhood
Firstly, I want to analyze Dona Maria’s childhood. It is important to analyze some memorable things which are experienced in someone’s childhood.
Some situations that happen during childhood will have an effect on someone’s personality development, especially if it is a bitter experience.
Dona Maria is a daughter of a cloth merchant. She grows up in a life of luxury. Since Dona Maria is not a good-looking girl, her mother forces her to
wear a lot of jewelry in order to arouse some social charms. Her mother also treats her in a sarcastic way. Her parents’ treatments show that they reject her. It has a
bad effect on Dona Maria’s childhood. Moreover, her parents are too busy earning money. There is no one to share her feelings which lead her to become a lonely
child who is craving for affection. According to Hurlock, “Parental attitudes are often responsible for child emotionality 304. “In childhood, there is a strong
drive to be with others, when this need is not met, the child will be unhappy . . . 326.
“She was a daughter of a cloth merchant who had acquired the money and the hatred of the Limeans within a stone’s-throw of the Plaza. Her
childhood was unhappy: she was ugly; she stuttered; her mother persecuted her with sarcasms in a effort to arouse some social charms and
forced her to go about the town in a veritable harness of jewels. She lived alone and thought alone” 14.
The inconsistent, insincere and unconcern from parents toward their
children becomes the causes of feeling unloved and insecure. Rejection experienced by children can cause some psychological effects such as feelings of
unworthy, neglected, isolated, and low self-confidence. It also happens to Dona Maria. Dona Maria’s parents are busy people. They do not have much time to
spend with Dona Maria. They cannot fulfill Dona Maria’s need of love. This situation makes Dona Maria feel rejected and unloved. Moreover, Dona Maria has
inability to speak fluently and is not pretty.
b In Her Young Adulthood
As a teenager, Dona Maria never has any boyfriend. However, there are many suitors who want to propose to her but she rejects them. Dona Maria is not
pretty and stutters. She feels rejected by her parents. Hurlock says “The child’s emotion affect his social adjustment, directly because emotions affect his attitude
toward, and behavior with other people 321. The rejected child or the child who accepts no affection will have difficulty in learning about socialization with
others, they will react negatively to the other’s approach, difficult to cooperate and have an opponent attitude. They often show their annoyance with aggressive
