The article analyzes the use of metaphors in Sérgio Buarque de Holanda's Raízes do Brasil and sees them not only as a literary device, but also as historical projections of far-reaching effects for the development of national identity. Metaphors, thus, should be considered a key to the understanding of a theory of the history of Brazil, which Sérgio Buarque de Holanda tried to develop so as to account for the historical process of the formation of Brazilian society. The book's title itself points to the far-reaching projections of such metaphors: as he speaks of "roots", "adventure", "exile", "sowing", "boundaries", "borders" and of "cordiality", Holanda makes us understand the meaning of our history and of our misfortunes.
Brazilian Historiography; Sérgio Buarque de Holanda; Theory of History; national identity