The The shadow as the character’s double in the fantastic short story “As cores das bolinhas da morte” by Ignácio de Loyola Brandão

Abstract

Since the time of primitive societies, human beings have attributed a strong symbolic power to the shadow. In literature, it has proven to be an important symbol, enabling, among other aspects, the representation of classic human duality. From this perspective, this paper aims to analyze the configurations of the double in the fantastic short story “As cores das bolinhas da morte” (1999) by Ignácio de Loyola Brandão, which, in constructing the fictional plot, develops the literary motif of the loss of the shadow. The analysis is aligned with theories on identity, as it explores one of the facets through which the double is represented in literature, along with studies on fantastic literature. Examining Brandão’s narrative allows us to affirm that the loss or absence of shadow, a naturally unusual phenomenon, is the result of a split that problematizes the character’s identity as he is confronted with his double. The reunion with the shadow and its reintegration into the subject does not happen peacefully, as it involves an inversion in the hierarchy between man and shadow, establishing a new power relationship between these two complementary yet opposing entities.