Transitando nas águas do tempo : formas simbólicas da água no romance O outro pé da sereia, de Mia Couto.

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to web an analysis of the novel O outro pé da sereia (The other foot of the mermaid) by Mia Couto. The study is developed from the category simbology of water. To fundament this analysis, we used the theoretical contributions of Frye (2014), Chevalier and Gheerbrant (2012) and Chklovski (1972). The proposal of the analysis is to present a typology of the element water, relating it to two selected characters: Mwadia Malunga and Nimi Nsundi. We observe that the symbolic forms in which the element water manifests itself, the river and the sea, are intrinsically connected to the characters Mwadia and Nsundi respectively. Through the analysis, we verified that both characters have a relation of similarities and differences. Similarity happens through the presence of the element water in the path of Mwadia and Nsundi. The difference is seen through the behavior each one chooses facing certain events: Mwadia is more pacific and constant like river water, while Nsundi is impetuous and unpredictable like sea water.