The representation of concentration camps and the urban sanitation of Fortaleza in O Quinze

Abstract

The research presented aims to address the novel O Quinze (1930) by the writer Rachel de Queiroz from a historiographical perspective, discussing the consequences of drought in the Northeast region and the problems it caused for the rural population. In addition to this aspect, the article also analyzes the relationship between tradition and modernity represented, mainly, by the characters Conceição and Vicente, symbolizing the dilemmas faced by the Northeastern population during the period when the work was published, as well as the concentration camps created in strategic locations to block the suffering population seeking better living conditions in the capitals. The corpus in question was Rachel de Queiroz's first published novel and gained considerable notoriety due to its regionalist and social content as it portrays the drought of 1915 that devastated the Northeast region. With simple and colloquial language, O Quinze (1930) depicts the migration of the couple Chico Bento and Cordulina in search of better living conditions and the disintegration of families due to the drought. The story takes place in Quixadá, in the central hinterland of Ceará, and is divided into 26 chapters. The study is a bibliographic research, consisting mainly of books and journal articles focused on this theme. As theoretical support, we will use Candido (1975), Albuquerque Júnior (2006), Travassos (2011), Pinsky (2015), Arendt (2014), Burke (1991), among others.