INTRAFAMILY VIOLENCE AND INTEGRAL PROTECTION IN CHILDHOOD: A CASE STUDY OF ZEZÉ IN THE LITERARY WORK MY SWEET ORANGE TREE

Abstract

This article aims to analyze how the book My Sweet Orange Tree (O Meu Pé de Laranja Lima) illustrates the consequences of intra-family violence during childhood and adolescence. Furthermore, it seeks to understand how the principle of integral protection, provided for in the 1988 Federal Constitution and the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA), can be applied to protect children in contexts similar to Zezé's within contemporary Brazilian reality. To this end, a qualitative approach and data analysis were adopted, alongside a literature review of scientific articles, abstracts, and the aforementioned literary work, which served as the foundation for exploring this theme in mid-1920s Brazil. In the novel, the protagonist is subjected to constant episodes of aggression that provoke feelings of anger, sadness, and low self-esteem, leaving marks not only on his body but also in his memory, accompanying him throughout his life. Thus, the study confirms the importance of more in-depth research into this issue, which affects a significant portion of children in the modern Brazilian landscape.