The Contradiction of Capitalism in Juntacadáveres by Juan Carlos Onetti

Abstract

This article examines Juan Carlos Onetti’s Juntacadáveres through a hermeneutic and theoretical-critical methodology grounded in the ideas of Foucault, Nietzsche, Fromm, and Sartre to explore how the city of Santa María functions as a closed space that produces “docile bodies” and exposes the contradictions of capitalism in modern life. Its primary objective is to show that the arrival of Larsen and the establishment of the brothel operate as narrative mechanisms that reveal moral hypocrisy, social repression, and the power structures that sustain the community’s order, while simultaneously exposing the conflict between desire, social control, and modernization. The study demonstrates, as its scope, that the brothel should not be reduced to a symbol of immorality; rather, it becomes the site where traditional order and capitalist logic collide, with capitalism portrayed as a system that commodifies bodies, spaces, and human relations. Furthermore, Larsen is interpreted as an existential figure resisting alienation and the automatic conformity imposed by modern capitalist society. Overall, the analysis argues that Juntacadáveres illustrates the tension between utopia, power, and the market within the Latin American socio-cultural landscape.