The social pact in Grande sertão: veredas: the ethic of provisory

Abstract

An important subject of João Guimarães Rosa’s novel is the attempt toachieve a founding gesture which eradicates the conflicts of the backland. Through ananalysis of the undertaking of Faust, which from Adam until Goethe’s hero presentsa positive character, presuming a whole subject, endowed of will and conscience, wewill propose that the main agent which moves Riobaldo towards carrying out the pactis indeterminacy. Following this perspective, we will treat the schism of Faust’s myth,from the late 19th century through the early 20th century, which replaces the conquestof a civilized and progressive project with skepticism and irony. That way, the gesturemade in the Veredas-Mortas, assuming the abolition of the jagunço barbarism, finds,after the defeat of Judas, the counterpart of the anti-militarism. Riobaldo, the old farmerthe land-owner, having as servants his long-time jagunços, lives in a tense balance,threatened each moment by a new irruption of wickedness. In fact, none of the otherjagunço chiefs, Medeiro Vaz, Joca Ramiro, Zé Bebelo, is able to support themselves onany founding principle likely to develop the objectives of the social pact.