O mal banal: a tortura como instrumento de desumanização na obra "Os que bebem como os cães", de Assis Brasil

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how the concepts of the banality of evil, state violence, ideology, and terror—fundamental to the critique of totalitarianism by the philosopher Hannah Arendt—are manifested in the torture of the incarcerated characters in the novel Os que bebem como os cães by the Brazilian author Assis Brasil. To achieve this, a bibliographic research approach was employed, initially presenting the aforementioned concepts through citations from Arendt’s works Eichmann in Jerusalem, The Origins of Totalitarianism, and On Violence, which served as the theoretical framework for the analysis of the novel. The third chapter reflects on the capacity of the state’s repressive apparatus, particularly under totalitarian regimes, to strip individuals of their humanity. From this perspective, the importance of literature as a means of social denunciation is discussed, highlighting its role in preserving historical memory and promoting the recognition of human dignity as a fundamental value for building a democratic society grounded in truth and justice. The research is based on bibliographic sources, drawing on the writings of Adorno (2019), Arendt (1993, 1999, 2013, 2022), Fausto (2019), Foucault (1999), Gaspari (2002), Kant (1964), Oliveira (2016), Souki (1998), and Weber (2020), which provided theoretical support for the analysis of Brasil’s (2013) novel.