Sob o sol da borracha: a saga dos negros nos seringais e cidades amazônicas, através da literatura

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the experiences of Black people in the Amazon, spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, through literature. The works listed were "Green Hell" by Alberto Rangel; "A Handful of Lives" by Aristófanes Castro; and "The Weeping Tree" by Vicki Baum. The central focus of this research is the lived experience of these individuals, represented in the works, in the exploitation of rubber plantations, highlighting the challenges faced in this economic activity and in the region's developing cities. Participation in the rubber plantations imposed extremely precarious working conditions, resembling slavery in many ways. The long hours and exposure to violence from employers made the experience of Black people in these environments especially arduous. This reality was not limited to the rubber plantations, as being in developing cities did not guarantee a substantial improvement in living conditions. Despite their active contribution to urban growth, Black people still faced marginalization and restrictions in various spheres of society.