Amparo and Casaubon

Foucault's Pendulum

Amparo draws Casaubon into Brazilian religious and cultural life, then leaves after an experience of possession exposes the limits of his detached understanding.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Love and Brazil Love and Brazil from "Foucault's Pendulum". A New World of Belief Shared commitment Casaubon goes to Brazil with Amparo and becomes fascinated by the country.

Love and Brazil from "Foucault's Pendulum". A New World of Belief Shared commitment Casaubon goes to Brazil with Amparo and becomes fascinated by the country.

A New World of Belief Shared commitment Casaubon goes to Brazil with Amparo and becomes fascinated by the country. Her political ideals and complicated relation to Afro-Brazilian traditions challenge his European detachment. Contradictory attraction Amparo condemns religion intellectually while remaining deeply connected to family memory and ritual. Casaubon learns to tolerate contradictions rather than resolve them.

Possession at the Gira Possession at the Gira from "Foucault's Pendulum". The Body Overrides Belief A sudden trance Amparo enters a possession state associated with Pomba Gira despite her skepticism.

Possession at the Gira from "Foucault's Pendulum". The Body Overrides Belief A sudden trance Amparo enters a possession state associated with Pomba Gira despite her skepticism.

The Body Overrides Belief A sudden trance Amparo enters a possession state associated with Pomba Gira despite her skepticism. Casaubon watches as her experience becomes more powerful than her stated beliefs. A changed intimacy She emerges distressed and angry, feeling that she has returned to an inherited spiritual world. Casaubon cannot comfort her by treating the event as mere performance.

An Uneasy Departure An Uneasy Departure from "Foucault's Pendulum". A Relationship Ends Withdrawal Amparo asks to be alone and later leaves for Petrópolis. Casaubon does not pursue her, accepting her request for distance.

An Uneasy Departure from "Foucault's Pendulum". A Relationship Ends Withdrawal Amparo asks to be alone and later leaves for Petrópolis. Casaubon does not pursue her, accepting her request for distance.

A Relationship Ends Withdrawal Amparo asks to be alone and later leaves for Petrópolis. Casaubon does not pursue her, accepting her request for distance. Lasting influence Their separation leaves Casaubon more receptive to the idea that beliefs and bodies may be connected. That openness later helps prepare him for the Plan's seductive analogies.

During Casaubon's years in Brazil

During an umbanda ceremony in Rio

After the ceremony