O Cortiço by Aluísio Azevedo
O Cortiço by Aluísio Azevedo
Drawing 1: The tenement.
The author shows this space as a chaotic, living human hive. Small cubicles crammed together, with misaligned roof tiles and dirty walls, surround a central courtyard. Clothes hung on makeshift clotheslines and buckets scattered on the floor share the space with puddles of dirty water and garbage. Barefoot children play, women wash clothes and men chat in noisy groups. The stifling heat seems to emanate from the ground itself, while the cramped living conditions reveal both the misery and the vitality of the residents.
Drawing 2: Mr. Miranda’s house.
His house is described as organized and discreet, with a well-painted façade and aligned roof tiles, contrasting sharply with the tenement house in the background. A small garden in front reflects the attempt at sophistication, while the interior, with dark wood furniture and heavy curtains, exudes austerity. The environment is quiet and tidy, but conveys the tension and moral rigidity of the family, reflecting a continuous effort to maintain social status and distance themselves from the chaos of the tenement house
Drawing 3: The fire.
The tenement is consumed by flames in a spectacle of destruction. The fire advances rapidly, engulfing the flimsy cubicles as desperate residents try to save a few belongings. Children cry, and the courtyard, once chaotic but alive, is now a scene of despair and total chaos. Dense smoke covers the sky, while the intense heat and color of the flames dye the scene red and orange. In the place of the tenement, only charred wreckage remains, heralding the emergence of a cold new enterprise that is indifferent to the past.
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