The Dialectical Tension between Self and Other in Eu hei-de amar uma pedra, by António Lobo Antunes

Abstract

The representation of the protagonists' characters in the novel Eu hei-de amar uma pedra, by António Lobo Antunes, demonstrates the instability of individuals who do not adhere to a secure image of themselves or of others with whom they interact in the fictional scene. In Oneself as Another (Soi-même Comme un Autre), Paul Ricoeur presents a problematization concerning the concepts of sameness (mêmetè) - an identity of constancy and its relation to permanence in time - and selfhood (ipséité) - the changing condition of being whereby "oneself" is also the "other". These concepts help to understand the mechanisms that engender the psychical development of the subjects described in the text. Here, we examine the multiple and contradictory forms of identity representation of the characters as depicted in the novel; their inner conflicts contribute to the development of a potent reflection on the otherness of being, in fictional creation.