and practices that are everywhere socially and culturally produced”. (Scheper-Hughes , 1992;
341) The author never wanted readers to think that Alto women did not have mothers love,
their definition of love was just different. The reason women of Alto are so desensitized to their
offspring death is because it is their “natural maternal instinct”; death is very common in their
lives. Of course this love is not “natural”, but it is conditioned for repeated deaths they
encounter. Women of Alto sometimes leave their newborn child to see if he/she can survive on
their own; if they are strong enough to live, the child is looked at as talented and is well taken
care of and respected by the mother. What do the men do for the Alto women? In their society,
the men are the ones who are supposed to feed their families. Men who are able to feed their
children and wives, have higher status because they are not failing as husbands and fathers.
(Scheper-Hughes, 1992; 323) Even when the woman and the man are not legally married, the
man still provides for the woman and the children. The woman in response feels taken care of
and has a sense of happiness; if her child is acknowledged by the man, that means she is
acknowledged as well. If the man, by social standards, does not provide for his family, he will
not have socially accepted standing and will be considered as a failure.
References Cited
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. Death without Weeping: The Violence of Everyday Life in Brazil.
University of California Press. Berkley and Los Angeles, California. 1992. November 12, 2016.
