Bertoleza, The Machine Slave Woman

Abstract

This article analyzes the character Bertoleza from the work O Cortiço, a canon of Brazili-an literature. Since its publication, this classic has been the focus of countless studies and has received various possibilities of interpretation. We proposed to reflect on the role of this character as a black woman, a slave, her historical context and her relationship with João Romão, her new owner. This allowed us to discuss slavery, greed, exploitation of others, social inequality, injustice, accumulation of goods and suicide. We briefly present Aluísio de Azevedo's intellectual predisposition towards Naturalism, as well as his field of study. We used the methodology of bibliographic review, which aims to survey materials related to the field of study in order to understand the representation of black women in Brazilian literature. Finally, it is possible to state that Bertoleza never actually experienced freedom, as she went from being a conscious slave to living as a slave to a white man, an immigrant from Portugal, a race she considered superior to her own.