A construção do referente em a maçã no escuro

Abstract

In this paper, we weave considerations about the construction of reference in “A maça no escuro”, by Clarice Lispector. This narrative, which is told in third person, lets us know the protagonist Martim, who has an ambitious project. For believing that conventional language compromises the truth of things, Martim decides to reject it and tries to create a new one, longing that it can fulfill his need for expression. On one hand, we intended to problematize, trough the path the protagonist walks in the novel, the limitations imposed by the categorical instabilities in human language; on the other hand, realize the implications of the complex process of constructing objects of discourse. Assuming a non-essentialist view of language, in agreement with referenciation studies, we argue that since the world is not a collection of names or a repository of objective entities, there is no fixed relationship between forms to allude and the things which they allude to. Looking at Martim’s tragedy, we reiterate the idea that it is in interaction that speakers construct discursive entities, by negotiating meanings from contextual generalizations that have been crystallized by use.