There is no salvation for humanity

An intertextual analysis between Genesis 6-9 and the short story “Na arca”, by Machado de Assis

Abstract

The biblical narrative of the flood acquired an archetypal character regarding the theme of salvation. Throughout history, scholars of the book of Genesis have explored the redemptive nature of this account by emphasizing Noah's integrity (Gen. 6:9) in face of the corruption that permeated mankind (Gen. 6:1-7). However, despite mentioning the integrity of the main character, this does not seem to be the unique focus of the biblical account. Paradoxically, Genesis 6-9 is a model narrative to understand the complexity of human evil emphasizing that no human being deserves salvation. Following the same interpretative path, the tale Na Arca, by Machado de Assis, adds chapters to the biblical account, proposing that, despite being in the ark, Noah's family has an evil heart, like all mankind. After all, acting like beasts in the ark, the place of salvation would be shaken. Thus, this article aims to analyze intertextually the relationship between the narrative of Genesis 6-9 in its synchronic form and Machado de Assis' short story. We will seek to investigate how the short story can broaden the understanding of this narrative, often restricted to an interpretive tradition. Machado's approach seems to shed light on the tension already present in the biblical text between salvation and evil. After all, in Genesis 8:21, as Noah and his family left the ark, God makes the following statement: “every man's heart is evil”.