SUASSUNA’S COMPADECIDA: HUMAN, DIVINE AND EMPOWERED(?)

Abstract

The position of women in the western world is one of the most discussed subjects to this day, especially when this aspect is observed through the prism of religion, especially Christianity. Literature, as a reflection of society, ends up portraying in its characters the various roles acquired, or imposed, on the female gender. In Brazil, among a multitude of works that revolve around this theme, we highlight Auto da Compadecida (1955), by Ariano Suassuna (1927 – 2014). In it, the author uses popular faith to assemble a northeastern self in which the sacred and profane feminine intersect and allow us to observe how each one represents different characteristics associated with this gender. In this article, our objective is to analyze one of the central figures of this work, Compadecida, in order to explore her relationship with the other characters, especially when it comes to how the feminine is characterized in the religious sphere. Based on the theories of Barros (1998), Campbell (1990), Jurkevics (2004), Parker (1996), Tavares (2012), Trevisan (2017), we will analyze the relationship of Maria, Compadecida, with the popular faith, examining how this female figure reached a position of such prominence and power in the religiosity of the people. However, it is possible to infer that, in the Christian universe represented by this piece, even if the feminine, at least in its sacred form, has received such a position within the religious universe, it is still relegated to a position of subalternity, and its empowerment depends directly on the male/patriarchal control that commands the Catholic faith.