Sensibilidades, subjetividade e violência de gênero em "O peso do pássaro morto", de Aline Bei, e "Young Mungo", de Douglas Stuart

Abstract

Among the many forms of violence, those related to gender are currently discussed. Conflictual relationships cause friction capable of dramatic results, such as physical aggression and rape. Given this, there is the problem of (non)reaction and its proximity to the notion of sensibilities (how such responses are externalized and inscribed in the body of the subject) and their reverberations in the subjectivity of the victim so that the emotions associated with the episodes of aggression become constituents of their subjectivity. This dissertation investigates two novels, a Brazilian one titled The Weight of the Dead Bird by Aline Bei (2017) and a Scottish one titled Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart (2022). Both present the theme of gender violence through the rape of the protagonists. The main difference between them lies in the reaction to the traumatic event, as the character in the first novel is unable to talk about it throughout her life and becomes pregnant by the man who rapes her, whereas in the second one, the protagonist reacts to the aggression by murdering the two men who victimized him. Given these contexts, we hypothesize that responses to episodes of violence are related to the gender of the characters. Therefore, we question how the sensibilities of the protagonists operate concerning the violence perpetrated against them, as well as its effects on their subjectivities and consequent understanding of themselves as subjects. Thus, the general objective is to investigate, through a comparative study between the narratives, how the violation of bodies produces and interferes with the subjectivity of the protagonists. Specific objectives include: (1) To understand what motivates the processes of gender violence against the female body in The Weight of the Dead Bird and against the body of a young gay man in Young Mungo; (2) To study, with an emphasis on sensibilities, how the protagonists react to the violence suffered and its impact on the construction of their subjectivities; (3) To establish and discuss the subject's formation process and forms of resistance, when possible, to the instances that subject him. As theoretical references, for gender violence, there are Saffioti (2001; 2015), Segato (2003), Figueiredo (2019) and Gomes (2014; 2016; 2021); for masculinities, Sedgwick (2015), Muszkat (2018), Kimmel (1997; 1998), Jeffrey (2015), Trevisan (2021) and Lawson (2013); Pesavento (2003; 2005; 2007), Oliveira (2005), Lotterie (1998) and Santos (2008; 2019) base the discussion about sensibilities. Furthermore, for other considerations about gender and rape, O’Mochain (2018), Sivakumaran (2005), Mardorossian (2002), Brownmiller (1975), and Zanello (2018) are employed. The study points out the existence of sensibilities that are formed based on gender conventions so that the masculine still has an advantage over the feminine, given the maintenance of male domination.