How did Triste fim de Policarpo Quaresma satirize extreme patriotism?

In his masterpiece Triste fim de Policarpo Quaresma (1915), Afonso Henriques de Lima Barreto employs satire, caricature, and ridicule to critique the political climate of the Brazilian First Republic.

The novel specifically denounces ufanismo, a hyperbolic and modern form of nativism characterized by blind, uncritical patriotism. Through the character of Policarpo Quaresma—a quixotic and melancholic protagonist—Lima Barreto illustrates the tragic disconnect between an idealized vision of the nation and the harsh realities of a mechanized urban society, militarism, and governmental organization. By depicting Quaresma’s inability to navigate these structures, the author exposes the dangers of extreme nationalism that ignores social complexities and systemic flaws.12