O bem-amado e o corpo em disputa na obra de Dias Gomes

The present study begins with an analysis of the text O bem-amado (2019) by the Salvadoran author Dias Gomes, focusing on discourses surrounding the body as techniques of political domination. This text highlights the political trajectory of Odorico Paraguaçu, from his speech addressing the impoverished body of Mestre Leonel, through his election as mayor, to his downfall as he attempts to politically seize the body of one of the Cajazeiras sisters to create his macabre spectacle. The essay seeks to interpret the play using a dialogic methodology as a fundamental path to establish an aesthetic connection with Dias Gomes, Odorico Paraguaçu, and the other inhabitants of Sucupira. The reflection is constructed on how the control over the body of the poor worker was a primary condition for Odorico's political actions, and how his attempt to dominate Dulcineia Cajazeiras's body triggers his demise. For the historical contextualization of the social actors in dispute, references are made to Victor Nunes Leal (2012) and José Murilo de Carvalho (1997).