De reacionária à revolucionária: a saga distópica de Tia Lydia em O Conto da Aia e Os Testamentos, de Margaret Atwood

Abstract

Subversive since its very beginning, Gilead’s universe, present in the works The Handmaid’s Tale (ATWOOD, 2017), and The Testaments (ATWOOD, 2019) – with more than 30 years between their publication – has its destruction enabled by one of the main figures present on the Regime. Aunt Lydia, woman, underestimated by the sons of Jacob, acquires a place of power for herself, building an influential chain throughout the years she spends active; towards the end of her life, she decides to push her vengeance plan forward against those who subdued her. The end of a misogynistic totalitarian regime through a woman’s hands, as well as the double life (RICH, 1980) lived by the character through conflictive behavior, torn between perpetuate and annihilate the regime, demonstrates the possibility of a woman’s infiltration on hostile environments to her, not to mention the neutralization of such places. Thus, the following research aims to analyze Aunt Lydia’s double life, observing survival and resistance strategies presented by the character; her relation with other women who are present in the narrative; capitalizing over relationships with men with the goal of obtaining power; and the dismount and functioning of totalitarian regimes. To achieve such goals, the research will avail itself of social-cultural studies on totalitarian regimes, coined by Agamben (2004, 2015, 2010), Arendt (2012), and Foucault (2013). Moreover, to provide a better insight concerning women inside totalitarian regimes and the relations among them, we will utilize the studies originated by the feminist critique, those being Rich’s (1980), Daly (1970), Segato (2016, 2014, 2013), and Milanez (2019).