43 pages • 1 hour read
Clarice LispectorA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Macabéa buys a red lipstick for herself the day after Olímpico breaks up with her. She takes it into the bathroom at work and paints it on her mouth, hoping she’ll look like Marilyn Monroe. Glória makes fun of her when she returns to the office, insisting that Macabéa will never look like Marilyn. They start arguing about who is more attractive and who is uglier. Then Glória asks why Macabéa always takes so much aspirin. Macabéa admits that she lives with a pain that she can’t explain. Rodrigo thinks her pain is a sign that she’s alive, yet no one but him notices her. Glória dismisses what Macabéa says and insists that someday she’ll choke on one of the pills.
Soon after this, Macabéa encounters a giant tree while out walking. She’s thrilled by the tree, as it’s so big she can’t even “wrap her arms around its trunk” (54).
Olímpico starts regularly visiting Glória at the office. He hugs and kisses her in front of everyone. Whenever he shows up, Macabéa dismisses herself to the bathroom. She stares at herself in the mirror and realizes that Glória isn’t really her friend.
Art
View Collection
Books & Literature
View Collection
Books on Justice & Injustice
View Collection
Books that Feature the Theme of...
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Existentialism
View Collection
Fate
View Collection
Hispanic & Latinx American Literature
View Collection
Novellas
View Collection
Order & Chaos
View Collection
Poverty & Homelessness
View Collection
Pride Month Reads
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection
Truth & Lies
View Collection