The symbologies of Sertão culture in the novel A Casa, by Natércia Campos

Abstract

This article aims to analyze some symbologies presented in the novel A Casa, written by Natércia Campos, which connects with beliefs and worldviews in the sertão culture of Ceará state in the Brazilian Northeast. This research is relevant because we deal with a writer sparsely studied, and there are great symbolic representations in her literary work. For the methodology, we accomplish a character and thematic analysis, analyzing excerpts from the novel, and some of the characters in the narrative, converging within a cultural and historical analysis. The symbolic elements selected are the hours, and the moons, the trinities, the death, the waters, and the mirror. We debate with Câmara Cascudo (2011, 2009), Liliane Silva (2016), and Timbó (2011), among others. From the analysis, we conclude that the symbologies connect with the characters' feelings and worldviews. Considering their social usage, these symbols develop in the narrative from a historical and cultural comprehension. Thereby, the novel written by Natércia Campos settles down how a fiction work few known, demonstrates by its insights, and particularities, a unique and legitimate importance that deserves to be studied.