The hostility of feminicide in Nélida Piñon

Abstract

 This paper addresses the ambiguity of the foreigner’s hospitality/hostility theme, in the short story ‘Sangue Esclarecido’ [in English: ‘Clarified Blood’, loosely translated], in the collection Sala de Armas [Weapons Room], by Nélida Piñon. We have started from the study of violence against women as a form of hostility by the guest. In the narrative, the protagonist, despite being treated in a warm manner, rejects the principles of cordiality, by imposing aggressive virility as a repertoire of abusive relationships that precede a feminicide. In our arguments, we use J. Derrida’s concept of ‘hospitality’ – one that is standardized as a universal right; ‘identification’, by Z. Bauman – the stage of the identity construction process; and ‘excessive masculinity’, by L. Machado – the standardization of the violent man who opts for aggressive virility as a mark of his identity.