Matches and mismatches with desire in the old age’s corridors: Reading of “A procura de uma dignidade”, by Clarice Lispector

Abstract

This article, the result of a conclusion paper of the course “O infamiliar em Clarice Lispector”, offered by the postgraduate course of the Brazilian Literature Program of FFLCH-USP, focuses on the short story “A procura de uma dignidade”, by Clarice Lispector, published in Onde estivestes de noite (1974). Staged by Mrs. Jorge B. Xavier, the narrative begins with the almost 70-year-old woman lost in the underground corridors of the Maracanã Stadium. Looking for a conference to attend, the lady identified by the name of her husband – a relevant index of the patriarchal and sexist society about which the author wrote – plunges into a network of anxieties that gradually reveals her unfamiliarity with the dealing with sexual desire in old age and the urge to find a way out. For the analysis of this short story, it was important to resort to the Freudian concept of Das Unheimliche, to other researchers who dedicated themselves to the study of Clarice Lispector, as well as other texts from the Lispector’s repertoire, seeking to add new perspectives to the author's critical fortune in a theme that still requires studies.