Childhood, Rebellion and Slavery in the Novel O Mulato, by Aluísio Azevedo

Abstract

This article analyzes the representation of enslaved children based on the child character Benedito, from the novel O Mulato by Aluísio Azevedo (1857–1913). It engages a dialogue between History, literature and intersectionality, seeking to capture in the schematization of the fictitious entity and in its enunciation, aspects of Brazilian reality in nineteenth-century Maranhão. The article draws on additional documents, including notices related to the sale and escape of enslaved individuals published in Maranhão newspapers, as well as municipal codes of conduct from São Luís. Using these sources, the article confronts text and context in order to understand how literary discourse reinforces images of control over Black people. It starts from the premise that the term “moleque” constitutes a literary and social category constructed to define the role of the Black child within the slaveholding order. The word carries a historical dimension and is marked by racial stereotypes that have been re-signified over time.