Relações conjugais e luto: uma análise da obra literária “A máquina de fazer espanhóis” de Valter Hugo Mãe, na perspectiva da Psicologia do Envelhecimento

Abstract

This study analyzes the literary work The Machine for Making Spaniards by Valter Hugo Mãe (2016) through the lens of Historical-Cultural Psychology. It aims to deepen reflections on death and the process of spousal bereavement in old age, focusing on the story of the character António Silva, who loses his wife, Laura. This qualitative research is grounded in Vygotsky’s (1999) studies on Psychology and Art, specifically the relationship between form and content, as well as the contributions of literary critic Antônio Candido. It highlights the role of art and literature as indispensable human assets and cultural products, given their capacity to transform the materiality of life into something entirely new. The analysis of the work, integrated with the Tasks of Mourning proposed by Worden (1988), reveals the impact of a spouse's death on the elderly individual's life, the challenges inherent in the grieving process, and the potential pathways for processing the loss.