Topic
From poverty to property: space, social mobility, and the construction of subjectivity in Graciliano Ramos's São Bernardo
This work examines the relationship between space and subject formation in São Bernardo, by Graciliano Ramos, focusing on how conditions of spatial deprivation shape the trajectory of Paulo Honório. Although the conference emphasizes urban narratives, its expanded notion of “urbanity and beyond” allows for the investigation of peripheral and transitional spaces that interact with broader processes of modernization, mobility, and social transformation. In this sense, the novel offers a fertile case for understanding how experiences of poverty and exclusion influence individual agency and social aspirations.
Born into extreme poverty and marked by a life of material scarcity, Paulo Honório develops an intense desire to escape the limitations imposed by his environment (Brayner, 2023). His acquisition of the São Bernardo farm represents not merely economic ascension but also an attempt to overcome the spatial conditions that shaped his existence (Candido, 2006). With this in mind, we argue that the protagonist’s ambition, authoritarianism, and obsession with property emerge directly from his experience of deprivation, transforming space into a central agent in the construction of his identity (Bueno, 2006).
Drawing upon literary spatial studies, particularly reflections on the relationship between environment, power, and subjectivity, this analysis explores how the novel portrays space not as a passive setting but as an active force that influences social behavior and personal values. Furthermore, the study discusses how the transition from marginality to landownership reveals tensions between mobility, domination, and belonging within the context of Brazilian modernization.
By examining the interplay between poverty, space, and ambition, this paper contributes to contemporary debates on spatial narratives and demonstrates how literary representations of (non) urban environments can illuminate broader questions concerning human experiences, social inequalities, and the production of space in modern societies.
Gabriel Felipe da Silva (Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais)
Gabriel Felipe da Silva is a PhD candidate in Brazilian Literature at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais – PUC Minas and PhD student in Literature Materialities – Coimbra University, mobility at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Salamanca, Spain, and PhD student in Literature Studies (Theory and Literary Criticism) at the Fluminense Federal University – UFF with a CAPES-PROEX scholarship. My latest article is "Between subversion and dependence: post-aesthetic in literary criticism". I work on the following themes: Literary Theory, Comparative Literature, Literary Criticism, Brazilian Literature, Graciliano Ramos, Romance de 30, Afrânio Coutinho, Italian Language and Literature, Cinema, Intermediality Studies, Teaching of Literature (https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7917.2026.e103980) https://lattes.cnpq.br/2552050110801112.