She has sex with a ton of men in order to get what she wants. According to Marianismo women should be spiritually stronger than men and more independent. Alicia lives with her mother Margarita, and the only income they have is by selling these valuable gifts in the black market. One way Alicia represents marianismo is that she cares for her mother a lot. She's her best friend; the one she can turn to for anything. She must take care of her mother for she is all that she has. .
Carolina from Child of the Dark is set in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 1955-1960. Carolina has three children; Vera, Jose Carlos, and Joao, who live with her in the Favelas. In the Favelas, life is difficult. The huts are built of cardboard and wood scraps. They are full of disease, low lifes, violence and alcoholism. Carolina's daily life consists of collecting paper and scraps for food money. Carolina represents Marianismo very well. She always makes sure her kids are fed before her, while doing her best to provide them with everything they need. She refuses to put her interest in marrying before her interest in her children, even when she is proposed to by a man named Manuel. She also becomes intertwined with a man named Raimundo, who brings out a side of romance and adventure in her. Ultimately, she decides that he is not the man for her, but when he moves away she is broken hearted. Carolina maintains that she is not the marrying type; her children come first and she is willing to make sacrifices so that they are cared for. Carolina struggles to insulate her children from bad influences, constantly surrounded by uneducated neighbors who pick fights with her children. Carolina is a smart woman and does not let herself fall under the influence of the Favelas. Most women who live there sleep with different men every night and have no respect for anyone. They don't care for their kids and only worry about alcohol. During the writing of her diary, Carolina holds fast to her dream of finding a home far from the Favelas for her and her children.
