Figures of the narrator and death in 'Mandiocal', by Paulliny Tort

Abstract

This article proposes an analysis of the short story “Mandiocal” written by the Brasiliense author Paulliny Tort and published in the collection of short stories titled Erva Brava in 2021. In this investigation, a close reading approach is adopted, focusing on internal and structural elements that are relevant to the understanding of the narrative. Among these elements, the figure of the narrator stands out, whose rhetoric challenges the discursive boundaries between the narrative focus and the voice of the characters. Additionally, the theme of death is addressed, which permeates the entire narrative, assuming a symbolic role, especially in dialogue with issues related to social inequality. Through this analysis, an investigation is also sought into the representation of institutional fracture, both in verbal and non-verbal signs presented in the short story. The disjunction between the instances of power denotes, as we will show, the existence of two mismatched worlds, where the institutionalized world is oblivious to how the rural population lives, organizes itself, and deliberates on its dissidences.