Representação da pobreza e exclusão social na obra quarto de despejo: Diário de uma favelada de Carolina Maria de Jesus

Abstract

The object of this research is to analyze the representation of poverty and social exclusion in the work Quarto de Despejo: Diário de uma Favelada by writer Carolina Maria de Jesus. The author, a Black woman living in poverty in the Canindé favela in São Paulo, narrates her daily life in diary form during the 1940s, revealing the experiences of a historically marginalized population. The study highlights the social and literary significance of the work, which is part of the context of marginal literature and the erasure of Black female authorship in Brazilian literary tradition. The research adopts a qualitative and bibliographic approach. The analysis addresses themes such as the autobiographical pact, individual and collective memory, as well as the language used by Carolina, which transforms her personal experience into a form of social denunciation. Beyond its literary nature, the work holds a strong political character by exposing the structural inequalities that still exist in our society. Thus, it becomes a timeless testimony, as it continues to reflect persistent social issues. This research is based on authors such as Regina Dalcastagnè (2012), Susana Castro (2019), Beatriz Sarlo (2007), Philippe Lejeune (2008), Maurice Halbwachs (1990), and Jacques Le Goff (1990).