Silêncio, Resistência e Subjetividade em Torto Arado, de Itamar Vieira Junior

Abstract

This qualitative bibliographical research aims to analyze silence and its role in gender apparatuses in the novel Torto Arado, by Itamar Vieira Junior, drawing parallels between the different silencing processes the protagonists go through and their resistance movements. The analysis was conducted in light of Judith Butler’s (2024) theories on gender performativity; considering processes of subjectivation through the amorous and maternal apparatuses as postulated by Valeska Zanello (2018); and, finally, through the analytical tool of intersectionality as conceptualized by Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge (2020) and Akotirene (2019). The analysis draws parallels between silence as a representation within the narrative and its reflections in Brazilian reality, as well as the processes of resistance that emerge, both within the novel and in reality. As a result of the analysis, we can highlight that the narrative of Torto Arado serves the function of denouncing social ills, while also sustaining its aesthetic function as an artistic and literary work, providing the reader with access to subversive representations of female subjectivity. The emergence of subjectivities marked by autonomy and the desire for agency over one’s own body and destiny is also highlighted. Furthermore, the present paper represents a dialogue between Psychology and Literature, demonstrating the relevance of the latter for understanding human subjectivity, highlighting its humanizing role and its potential to deepen the feeling of empathy and understanding of otherness.