The old “puppets”: Quincas Berro D'Água, versions and construction of identity

Abstract

In this article, the examination of the short story “A morte e a morte de Quincas Berro D’Água”, published in: Os velhos marinheiros (1961), reveals that, in elaborating this fiction, Jorge Amado has used characters present in popular Brazilian dramaturgy. These characters are recurrent in other novels by the same author. They are based on models taken from the traditional European dramaturgy known as “comedia dell’arte”, and Amado mixes them with regional popular art that show a very strong African influence. In this way, the short story may be read under a new light that, instead of privileging the fantastic, prefers to illuminate the dramatic qualities of the text , allowing for the subversion of the figure of the Brazilian citizen, Quincas, who acquires, through the manipulation of popular art, new meanings while at the same time, standing out as a marionette. The final scene shows the ropes of the saveiro dangling in the night, after the main character disappears, leaving behind the possibility of multiple versions of himself.