Entre o desejo e a violência: o mecanismo vitimário de René Girard e seus ecos na literatura das margens

Abstract

This thesis explores the theme of mimetic desire and its relationship with violence. From the perspective of mimetic desire, René Girard identified in world literature a fertile ground through which he could expose the origins and scope of his theory. By asserting that human desire is mimetic, Girard argues that the root of violence lies in competitive desire. In early human communities, such competition escalated into full-blown collective crises. Paradoxically, this violent crisis was resolved through a substitute victim, who served to channel collective violence. In this way, cultures were structured around this victim mechanism, establishing social order through sacrifice. It is from this dichotomous notion of violence that our analysis unfolds. The main critique this research presents to Girard’s thought concerns the victimization mechanism and its persistence within Christianity. Girard maintains that Christianity fosters the dissolution of violence and the sacred. According to him, by revealing the dynamics of victimization, Christianity functions as an essentially anti-victimization religion, gradually breaking away from the cycle of violence and sacrifice. For Girard, identification with the victim—most notably with the figure of Christ—offers an opportunity to rupture cycles of violence, creating a space for reconciliation and protection of victims. In contrast to this hegemonic anti-victimization reading of Christianity, this research shifts its focus to marginal literature, with special attention to the works of Itamar Vieira Junior, such as Torto Arado and Salvador, o Fogo. Marginal literature, by emphasizing narratives of resistance and survival among the marginalized, provides an alternative perspective on the victimization mechanism. Drawing from the realities of peripheral communities, this literature constructs a non-hegemonic narrative that seeks to soothe the wounds left by colonialism. This thesis examines how these literary narratives can offer solutions to mitigate historical and social victimization by creating spaces for reflection and denunciation for those who have been silenced over time.