Against the Principle of Oppression: Literature and Resistance in the Prose of Graciliano Ramos

Barren Lives and São Bernardo, novels by Brazilian writer Graciliano Ramos, critically examine the violent structures of oppression embedded in Brazilian society. Through his incisive realism, Graciliano exemplifies a literary response that aligns with Walter Benjamin’s challenge to interpret history against the grain. In both works, the characters struggle against the harshness of nature and the oppressive social forces that define their existence. Barren Lives traces the plight of a displaced family enduring their “via crucis” across the drought-stricken landscapes of Brazil’s Northeast. In São Bernardo, the narrative revolves around Paulo Honório, an authoritarian figure who objectifies those around him, reducing them to mere instruments of profit, thus denying their intrinsic humanity.