Food as a metaphor for semantic-discoursive analysis in the short story Ave de paraíso, by Nélida Piñon

Abstract

This article aims to explore the food metaphor as a discursive resource in the composition of subjectivities in the short story Ave de Paraíso, by Nélida Piñon (2022). It is based on the premise that metaphors, by resignifying everyday elements such as food, can reveal symbolic dimensions of desire, affection, and gender relations. In the story, the chocolate cake holds a central position in the dynamic between the protagonists, acquiring different meanings throughout the narrative. The study proposes to: (I) analyze the meanings attributed to the chocolate cake as a symbolic marker of the couple's relationship; (II) examine how the food metaphor structures discourses on gender, highlighting tensions between desire and submission; and (III) interpret how this metaphor shapes conceptions of the female role in the conjugal space, associating food, care, and duty. The theoretical framework is based on Ferrari (2011), Moura and Zanotto (2009), who discuss the construction of metaphor and its semantic indeterminacy; and Barcellos (2019), who reflects on food as a symbolic and imaginative field. Regarding gender relations in the narrative, the article draws on the contributions of Biroli (2014) and Saffioti (1987). This bibliographic research, grounded in analytical reading, demonstrates that the food metaphor transcends its material function, revealing subjectivities and gender relations. By representing love, ritual, and submission, food becomes a symbolic language of affective relationships, fostering a critical reflection on gender discourses that sustain private structures.