GENESIS 1:26: CANNIBALISM, CONSUMPTION AND IMAGINARY CONTROL IN “A FIRST-RATE MATERIAL” (2022), BY SAYAKA MURATA

Abstract

The following research has as main objective to analyse the short-story “A First-Rate Material” (2022), by Sayaka Murata, through-out the cannibalism perspective as a allegory of the influence of the late-capitalism functioning as the imaginary control of the individuals, in a way to exemplify the “Obedience Glorification”. As Methodology, have been used the key-term Bakthinian Plurivocalism to encompass the concepts about the chattering voices by Bakhtin (1998). As theoretical foundation, have been resorted the imaginary control by Costa Lima (2009); to the Marx (2017) indexing about the merchandise kink and the term update by Bucci (2021) as Imaginary Superindustry; Bauman (2022) and Benjamin (2013) about the consume in the post-modernity as a core and religion to the living capitalism. As results, are pointed that the society presented in the tale have reached a consume level that not even the mortal remains escapes the sell-out. The individuals begun to believe the myth of the durability of items originated from the Human, appreciated for their exotical value. As final considerations, are pointed that the groom, Naoki, only converts to the control of the cannibal imaginary, that considers the cannibalism as acceptable and practical, due to the non-solved matter between him and his Father. If there was no wimple made out of his father’s skin, Naoki would never surrender to the immorality of this conception.