Echoing Silences

Male Domination in the Novel A ponta do Silêncio (2016), by Valesca de Assis

Abstract

Set in the quiet city of Cruzeiro, the novel A Ponta do Silêncio (2016), writer by Valesca de Assis, from Rio Grande do Sul, has as its plot the murder of Rudy Treibel, a person who belongs to the cream of Cruzeiro society and is known by all, whose main and unique suspect is his own wife, teacher Marga Treibel. The only form of defense presented by Marga is writing, as the character lost her voice after the event. Thus, Marga starts writing letters and, through them, the character will show the details of her abusive marriage and her husband’s violent behavior. Based on this, the present study is concerned with scrutinizing the male domination perpetrated in Marga’s life, showing how this had a direct impact on the outcome of the book. In addition, considering that this is a writer character, whose voice is given by writing, the analytical focus will also fall on the subjectivation process that Marga encounters when writing, based on studies from contemporary Feminist Criticism, whose focus is in the writer character. Furthermore, aiming at Marga’s defense, studies on male domination will also be used to confirm the character’s arguments.