FROM SILENCE TO A RESOUNDING CRY: THE EXISTENTIAL TRANSFORMATION OF ZÉ MOREIRA IN GURAM DOCHANASHVILI’S THE FIRST GARMENT

Abstract

The article analyzes the existential trajectory of Ze Moreira, a key secondary character in Guram Dochanashvili’s novel The First Garment (Samoseli Pirveli, 1975). Through three ontological stages  the silent pastoral existence in the Sertão, oppressive captivity in Camorra, and sacrificial participation in the Canudos War , Ze Moreira undergoes a profound transformation from unspoken anguish (“დარდი”) and verbal muteness to a defiant, liberating cry (“ომახიანი ძახილი”). This evolution embodies the novel’s core theme: true freedom is not a given state but an achieved one through ethical choice, self-transcendence, and sacrifice. Drawing on existential phenomenology (Heidegger’s “Being-towards-death”) and logocentric analysis, the study highlights the semantics of the name “Ze” (implying “above” or transcendence) and the symbolic duality of the two machetes in the final battle. Ze Moreira emerges as the archetype of the “unsung hero,” whose path from silence to voiced freedom serves as a model for the protagonist Domenico and the reader.

Keywords: Guram Dochanashvili, The First Garment, Ze Moreira, existential transformation, freedom, silence, Canudos, sacrifice, verbal evolution.