Graciliano Ramos' Vidas Secas Language: An Existential Struggle

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Portugal, Jose Alberto

Keywords

Regionalism, Draught, Brazil

Area of Concentration

Humanities

Abstract

This thesis is an analysis of the representation of the Brazilian Northeast sertanejo as Graciliano Ramos portrays them in the novel Vidas Secas. To represent the barren reality lived by members of this marginalized group, struggling under the devastating periodic draughts, Ramos focus his keen, observant eye to the processes of animalization and humanization at play in the backlands. The sertanejos, almost as archetypes of the Northeastern men, are primitive and rustic, and their inherit struggle is a struggle for language. This thesis attempts to articulate the backlanders reality and struggle as seen through their worldview, as well as that of the narrator, who attempts to approximate his language to that of the almost inarticulate characters. Moreover, there is an intent to examine the possibility of hope and growth for the characters in their final move towards civilization, in spite of the pessimist tone of the novel and of its author.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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