INTERMEDIALITY, ANIMAL STUDIES AND ECOFEMINISM:

AN ANALYSIS OF BECOMING-PIG IN LAVAGEM (2015), BY SHIKO

Abstract

The pig is an animal whose representation carries multiple interpretations depending on the cultures and contexts in which it is embedded. Present in literature, cinema, and other types of media, the pig, sometimes represented iconically or anthropomorphized, is commonly used to allude to the complexity of the "human being" as an "individual" or "becoming". In this article, using Animal Studies and ecofeminism, we analyze the graphic narrative "Lavagem" (2015) by Shiko and the symbolism surrounding the pig. Before that, we use Intermediality studies to understand which elements we should analyze in this type of media. Ultimately, we conclude that the protagonist of the story, amid the mangrove environment where she lives, sees men as pigs in the sense of being as filthy as them. In this zoomorphism, "Lavagem" (2015) becomes an allegory of domestic violence, which is exacerbated by the poverty of the mangrove environment where they live.