Evita. vs. Child of the Dark The Diary of Carolina Maria de Jesus
If we look into lives of both Dona Maria Eva Duarte de Peron and Carolina, both of them had variedness and assortment of the vagaries of social, economic and political lives and overall differences in their determined efforts and choices to face world turmoils. Both of their childhood was spent in the poverty and same condition of miseries but what made them apart was their differences in their approach to handle their poverty and societal ordeals. Both of them never succumbed to the pressures of the societal demands yet their approach and outlook to pierce into the racism, prejudices and above all miserable poor conditions made them fall apart. They were both determined to face the neighbors vicarious talks, and face all odds with brevity and determination yet Evita got more success than Carolina. She acclaimed power and status and had a heroic death but Carolina though was successful yet died in misery. There were many reasons behind the same, with the more being their desperate personal background, choices, and determination.
Earlier part of the life of Carolina was spent in the favela, also known as shanty town, in the house made of cardboard and wood scraps. She was earning her living by gathering paper and metal scraps facing tantrums from the whites and from the others of area like Dona Rosa and Dona Silvia. They often picked fight with her children and abused her. In this environment of hunger, disease, humiliation, violence and alcoholism, Carolina grew up and developed her personality. She would get satisfaction only from writing and kind and sympathetic friends and strangers. She was very protective towards her children and tried her level best to keep them away from bad influences and from all troubles. She knew if her children remained in favela, which she called as the worst slum that exists (Maria de Jesus Clair, 18), they would be sure to come under the bad influence so she took them away from that place. At this stage, life of Evita was no different. Her story too began in a dusty village where she found herself lost in the Pampas ground of Argentina. Like Carolina who was an illegitimate child, she was also unfortunately born out of wedlock and jostling from one place to another she became an actress first, then she made her place in radio and then became the mistress of Colonel Peron and finally wielded that power in political and the turmoil period of postwar Argentina, that has very few parallels in the history of heredity monarchy. She became on one hand idol among millions but also hated and feared by many as well.
Both Carolina and Evita were strong willed women, as both wanted to fight hypocrisy and prejudices, and many racial and evil forces that were predominating the society of Brazil and Argentina. However, both had their own traits and personality, like Evita seized the opportunity of first becoming actress of whatever role she got, then eventually she joined radio and finally in 1944, she met Colonel Juan Peron who was the Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare in the military government which had attained power during the early June 1943. Eva entered into the intimate relationship with Peron and later both got married. This changed her life completely as she became a great political force garnering support of the laborers and masses. She became so powerful and exerted so great influence among the masses that at a time when her health continued to destroy, it was decided to change her name to Eva Peron, and was devoted to eulogies of the most remarkable woman of any historical epoch, and with the title of Jefa Espiritual de la Nacion (Spiritual Leader of the Nation) (Fraser Navarro, 168). And when she died, her corpse was hidden by nervous politicians for the fear if working class even got a hint where she was buried, it would lead to revolution.
On the other hand, Carolinas written diary on the penury conditions made her famous. When excerpts from her diary appeared in a weekly magazine O Criziero, Carolina was very proud but even after this, it did not have that effect on her what she was expecting. Her life remained the same as she found her successfully much bitter than before. She had to face the same frustrations and challenges as she was facing before. She still had to fight for water, racism, sexism and struggle to have enough money for food. Her dabbling with the politics too made her disgusted as she found everywhere hypocrisy, hungry race for powers and their anti poor policies. More than that even though Carolina got opportunity to marry as she got offers from well to white men yet she refused as she pledged to remain unmarried for the sake of her children. She never tried to seek opportunity whatever came to better her life as she was a great self willed woman for whom self respect and love for children was for more than anything else.
It was the decisions and the personal choices and determination that they carried their life which shaped the lives of both Evita and Carolina. Evitas marriage with the politician and her seizing the opportunity changed her live whereas Carolina never wanted to marry and did not do anything that went against her self interest leading this self willed women to land into misery.
2. Did Carolinas Brazil seem a place less appropriate to succeed than Evitas Argentina Explain.
Social, political and economic conditions of both the Brazil and Argentina were same. In both the places, there was poverty, misery, racism, political upheavals and hypocrisy. The place in which Carolina was staying was a favela or a shanty town where the spaces constituted crude huts constructed of cardboard and wooden scraps. There was hunger, violence, diseases and people falling into the grip of alcoholism everywhere. Her only consolation was writing and kindness towards friends and strangers. In eyes of Carolina, President of Brazil, Senhor Juscelino was like a bird living a golden cage (Maria de Jesus Clair, 26) and the dwellers were like hungry cats that might someday arouse against him if got a chance. Inflation was at its peak and especially in the Political Circle, Carolina felt the whole system was hatching some or other kind of plot against the poor. Even prices and cost of food was all time high. Factory owners would throw garbage and rotten food near favela as if not people but animals were living there. Racism and class discrimination was also at all time high. In these conditions, it was really very difficult to even survive.
No doubt in Argentina by 1890s English money and English technology had created a fan of railways across the plain from Buenos Aires and the villages grew up as points on the railway lines, halts at which cattle were loaded (Fraser Navarro, 2) but in 1920s the World Depression had gripped the economy in particular and whole society in general. As agriculture crippled, people began to migrate to towns in search of employment in factories where the condition was again all time low. Industries of Argentine were trying to produce for the European marketers and factories and industries were mushrooming reaching at new heights after Second World War while government was being run by conservatives. Moreover despite of the efforts of the labor movement though small, weak and divided in nature yet the condition of the laborers and common masses continued to remain the same till the day when a military coup brought the oligarchy rule to an end. Colonel Peron began to make his presence felt among the masses as the most controversial figure, but when Evita became a political figure, the first thing she did was to consolidate the labor movement that was the need of the hour. Laborers were getting dissatisfied and by 1941 the membership among various labor groups was increasing. Workers began strike for increase in wages and better living and working conditions. Evita seized the situation and political turmoil to her advantage and gained success and became a legendary figure.
Economic conditions of both the Brazil and Argentina were same but the political turmoil and changes that were taking place in Argentina made conducive place for Evita to succeed. The same was not true in Brazil where Carolina was only able to express her disgust and frustration but was not able to do anything or take any action.
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