Apricot Bonbons to a Free Man: Lispector and Spinoza

I argue that in her first novel Near to the Wild Heart, Clarice Lispector puts forth a critique of Baruch Spinoza’sSpinoza idea of freedomFreedom from Books IV and V of the Ethics. Although scholars have noted that Lispector was influenced by Spinoza, and that she quoted the Ethics in Near to the Wild Heart, none have yet explored her critical engagement with SpinozismSpinozism. I argue that through the intimate relationship of two characters in Near to the Wild Heart, both of whom strive to be free in Spinozist terms but fail, Lispector shows that freedom must depend on more than reasonReason alone. For Lispector, I argue, freedom depends additionally on circumstances such as human relationships and societal structures. I give biographical background to establish Lispector’s stake in the question of what freedom means and how it can be achieved, then explore the ways her two respective characters, Otávio and Joana, strive yet fail to be free.