The story of Caetana shed light on the Rio society where she was forced to marry based on church without her consent and after the marriage forced to perform obligations of a woman. This was organize in the presence of the church leader and the uncles in her absence and later was informed about the issue. On refusal to do these, her godfather, uncles and other authority threatened to give a serious discipline that could involve beating if she could not agree to the submissions to the husband. These brought conflict among planters and the landowners, debts with the civil society and inheritance among other issues. Through the slave women experiences, slave marriages and the issues of god-parenthood, difference in living conditions occurred with a significance of family slaves attached to its stability.
Male authority with reputations was expected for woman celibacy and related positioning of the slave family. In the past, assault to women by men through the socio-biology and patriarchy was a factor to proffer based on the primary motives of men to maximize the gene pool. The rage by men to survive on sexual threats was seen as value by the socio-biologists. Anger together with violence added power to individuals in response to variation of sexual threats with rages that near relationship was not kinship but a source of ego.
Caetana’s case was intended to be annulled after a given time duration on successful filing of the case against the marriage. The lawyer argued that the process could take a long period and therefore having a stand that this marriage should not be annulled. Due to the honor and respect of Caetana, the church leaders and a lawyer gave a testimony that but there was no sufficient evidence due to the lack of files for the case. They all argued that available sources could not reveal why the young woman who was a slave could be married without considering her entire life history. Therefore, the annulment was denied on the ground that the marriage having been initiated in the church with all the due respect, it would have appeared against the wish and the will of both the uncles and the man.
Reference
Graham, Sandra Lauderdale. 2002. Caetana says no: women's stories from a Brazilian slave society. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
