A Boneca

The song "A Boneca" by Olavo Bilac tells a simple yet profound story about two girls fighting over a doll. The narrative unfolds with the girls abandoning their previous games of ball and shuttlecock, their attention captured entirely by the desire to possess the doll. Each girl claims ownership, neither willing to relent or release their grip on the toy. The struggle is depicted vividly, with the doll suffering the consequences of the tug-of-war, its clothing torn and its face crumpled.

As the conflict escalates, the doll is ultimately torn apart, its stuffing spilling out. The girls' relentless pulling results in the destruction of the very object they were fighting over. The moral of the story becomes clear as the girls, exhausted by their quarrel, return to their previous games, now without the doll. The song serves as a cautionary tale about the futility of fighting over material possessions and the potential for loss when cooperation and sharing are absent.

Olavo Bilac, a Brazilian poet, is known for his lyrical and often didactic poetry. "A Boneca" reflects this style, using a simple children's dispute to illustrate deeper lessons about human behavior and the consequences of selfishness. The song's narrative is a metaphor for the broader human experience, where the inability to compromise can lead to mutual loss. It's a reminder that sometimes, in the heat of conflict, we can destroy the very thing we are fighting to possess.