Death and the Maiden Ariel Dorfman
Roberto, Paulina and Gerardo as Symbols and ConceptsIn Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman each of the three characters is extended to serve as a an allegorical concept that Dorfman uses to comment on the relation of past, present and truth in Chile and anywhere that a grave injustice that has occurred in the past still affects the present. The communication and interaction of these characters relates Dorfman's views about healing past injustice and what role truth plays in this process.One way to view Death and the Maiden is as an allegory for the situation in Dorfman's home country, Chile, after the displacement of the dictator Pinochet. The situation presented in the story of a victim and her husband trying to deal with her torture and rape under a previous dictatorship unsure of where the guilty lie is one that would be common in Chile at the time that the story was written. This situation can be extended to include the struggles that the characters undergo throughout the story as they reflect the struggles that Chile itself is undergoing: trying to acknowledge and come to terms with the past, while trying to work to a good future, unsure where the guilty lie, unsure how past hurts can be healed. Each of the character
responded to this quandry by naming a commission. Through this conflict, Paulina is presented as a characterization of the past, and Gerardo becomes a representation of the Chilean people trying to deal with it. He is the only one who truly knows whether he was guilty or innocent, he is the only one who can resolve the past. Paulina: There are people that knowGerardo: I'm not talking about those kinds of people. if you were to have a relapse, it could leave me. (72)This shows how Dorfman takes the problems of Chile and translates them into his play; the questions of Chileans that Dorfman presents are translated into the characters he creates and their interactions. Paulina: And that's what you told the president, that your wife might have problems with. s embody part of Chile itself, Chile is a Victim, living in the past; Chile is an uncertain judge, trying not to sacrifice present stability by bringing up the demons of the past; Chile is the accused, standing trial for past crimes. To some, the shadow of guilt could fall on every person they meet. The way Gerardo treats Paulina is a characterization of how Dorfman feels Chile is dealing with its past.
Common topics in this essay:
Death Maiden,
Act Scene,
Paulina Gerardo,
Chile Dorfman,
Gerardo Paulina's,
Paulina Roberto's,
Silly Silly,
Ariel Dorfman,
Chile Victim,
Stripped You'd,
past gerardo,
death maiden,
paulina gerardo,
past chile,
roberto's guilt,
past alive,
gerardo treats paulina,
treats paulina,
gerardo treats,
guilty lie,
deal past,
unsure guilty lie,
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Acceptance Essays
