Personagens despedaçados: o trauma em a desumanização, de Valter Hugo Mãe

Abstract

The present paper aims to discuss the traumatic events of the past as a significant trace in the development of the subjectivity of the characters Einar and Halla of the novel of the Portuguese writer, Valter Hugo Mãe, A desumanização (2017). The loss of the twin sister triggers a feeling of sadness and melancholy in Halla. Einar's nebulous past, that cannot remember the trauma that haunts him, puts him in a constant search for remembrance of his past, his memories. The act of narrating, to Einar’s narrative, will represent his freedom from past. In addition, the feeling of not belonging to Iceland works as an element of union of two mentioned characters smashed by the traumatic events, unlocking the space for an important relation in the final liberation movement of both characters, Halla and Einar. Thus, to reflect on trauma marks, this paper will take into account important theoretical contributions from Maurice Halbwachs (2006), Márcio Seligmann-Silva (2003) and Paul Ricoeur (2007).