Caleidoscópio torturante: João do Rio e a modulação da infância nas ruas cariocas no início do século XX

Abstract

This article seeks to analyze how the literature of João do Rio represented the nuances of the childhood of the streets of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century in order to portray the life of these subjects and also to problematize the view of the affluent class on these children. In order to equate Rio de Janeiro with the major cities of the world, the rulers of the time presented an urban reform project aimed at modernizing and, consequently, civilizing the city. Thus, reforms were executed according to the European standards of the time, specifically in the French style. However, the city housed a population that was inconsistent with the lifestyle that was being attempted to establish. In light of this, the government implemented various measures intended to "educate" these individuals so that they would conform to the modernization project. When non-adherence to the new customs was noted, the government repressed and marginalized them, forcing them to relocate and reconfigure themselves in the city’s peripheral zones. Among this population were poor boys and girls, mostly black, who sought in all types of ways, a means to survive.