Using this video and the AFTERWORD in "DEATH AND THE MAIDEN", each student will post a comment of 100 to 150 words on the question 1. In what ways do time and place matter
in the text?
Here are 2 extra short videos to help explain the fear in the USA during the 1950s which lasted until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. But in the 1950s Americans had a real fear of communism spreading through all parts of the world as a virus. In the video below, we see and hear President Eisenhower 1955-1959, President Kennedy (JFK 1960-1963), President Johnson (1963-1968) and President Nixon (1968 - 1973), all are warning of the danger of world domination by communism.
It is this fear and paranoia that created the moral compromises of American Foreign Policy which led to Pinochet and Vietnam. Americans saw supporting corrupt dictators as the lesser of two evils. (A great British novel dealing with this paradox is Graham Greene's "The Quiet American" which I have just added to our book club list.)
So fear of communism was a real fear, whether it was well-founded or paranoid imaginings depends on which historians you read. Certainly Stalin had an expansionist agenda in Europe but the USSR and China disliked each other even more than they disliked the capitalist countries. Nixon's visit to China in 1972 underlined that international politics were more complicated than a simple communist versus capitalist world.
Here are 2 extra short videos to help explain the fear in the USA during the 1950s which lasted until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. But in the 1950s Americans had a real fear of communism spreading through all parts of the world as a virus. In the video below, we see and hear President Eisenhower 1955-1959, President Kennedy (JFK 1960-1963), President Johnson (1963-1968) and President Nixon (1968 - 1973), all are warning of the danger of world domination by communism.
It is this fear and paranoia that created the moral compromises of American Foreign Policy which led to Pinochet and Vietnam. Americans saw supporting corrupt dictators as the lesser of two evils. (A great British novel dealing with this paradox is Graham Greene's "The Quiet American" which I have just added to our book club list.)
So fear of communism was a real fear, whether it was well-founded or paranoid imaginings depends on which historians you read. Certainly Stalin had an expansionist agenda in Europe but the USSR and China disliked each other even more than they disliked the capitalist countries. Nixon's visit to China in 1972 underlined that international politics were more complicated than a simple communist versus capitalist world.
Also here is a short advert from the USA in 1964
showing how dangerous communism was in the minds of the American people.
Some commentators argue that a kind of national paranoia engulfed the
USA as seen in the McCarthy 'witch hunt' against communists. There was a
fear that even one communist country in South America or Asia could
infect others and they would then fall like 'dominoes'. This was the
'Domino Theory'.
So how did the VIETNAM WAR END?
We
haven't considered the power and position of the non-aligned countries
including India. Were they neutral during the Cold War?
Ariel Dorfman carefully specifies in his stage directions that Death and the Maiden is set in "a country that is probably Chile but could be any country that has given itself a democratic government just after a long period of dictatorship."
ReplyDeleteChile, following General Augusto Pinochet's military coup was characterized by civil repression, extra-judicial abductions and "disappearances," torture, and murder. In fact, various reports and investigations claim that between 1,200 and 3,200 people were killed, up to 80,000 people were interned and as many as 30,000 were tortured during the time Pinochet was in government. (Source: Wikipedia). The theme of abduction, torture and rape and the effect it has on its victims recurs throughout the text Death and The Maiden with the protagonist Paulina Salas being a victim her self. Thus the time and place certainly matter in this text since as "a play about the empowerment of women," Death and the Maiden grounds the anger of Paulina in concrete historical circumstances, yet universalizes it. "Her rage," Dorfman stated to Wolfe, "comes out of something.. .that can be understood as the product of a system. At the same time, she is clearly speaking for more than torture victims " (Source: Article in The Times Of London by Matt Wolfe)
In what way does time and place matter in the text?
ReplyDelete-Ruchir Agarwal
Ariel Dorfmans Death and the Maiden is set post the dictator rule in Chile. The people of Chile democratically elected Senator Salvador Allende as their new president. Sensing his communist methods and the fear of the ongoing Cold war the Americans taste blood. They oust the communist government of Chile and place it under the dictator rule of General Augusto Pinochet.
The country was in total disarray, inhuman activities like rape and torture prevailed. Through Gerardo, Dorfman tries to portray a defender of truth, a member of the president’s commission which was actually set at that time. Through Paulina he expresses the miseries and the agony which the people underwent . Roberto is represented as a fanatic, a staunch follower of the dictatorship.
Death and the Maiden is clearly influenced by the above scenario.
Death and the maiden is a text that is written in the present but makes the reader delve into the history of the nation. Pinochet became the president of Chile in 1973. His dictatorial rule was marked with killings, tortures and interns. Paulina was one of the thousands of people tortured during his regime. Chile was still recovering from the ruins of the effects dictatorship. She had been mistreated and the commission was not going to look into cases that did not lead to death. This helps us understand Paulina’s desperation and plight for justice. The people were on edge-the torturers and tortured. There was a divide as the people were afraid of both justice as well as injustice. Chile’s unstable government added to this apprehension. The tension in the nation due to the shadow of dictatorship over it is reflected in the play. The divide in the people can be seen between Paulina and Roberto. In addition, Gerardo symbolises justice, which is supposed to be the new democratic government. His powerlessness can also represent the instability seen within the new government that is still under threat of another coup d’état. The emotions and tactics used by the trio come to light only after exploring Chile’s history.
ReplyDeleteDorfman had undertaken a challenging task of writing a fictional story in the ongoing setting of immediate history, where the background for his plot of continuously unfolding and evolving. In the post-dictatorship rule in Chile, the newly elected President Aylwin was setting up a Commission that would bring to light the crimes of the dictatorship that ended in death, but would neither name the perpetrators nor judge them. His aim was to take a step towards healing a sick country, yet he had to be cautious as a large proportion of Chileans still supported general Pinochet, and he had to be sure not to alienate them entirely.
ReplyDeleteThis resulted in an interesting dilemma that was the perfect story for Dorfman. Although the truth of the terror exercised on the Chileans would be documented forever as a part of official history, there were still thousands of victims who had experienced torture at the hands of people walking freely around them for whom justice would not be served. How can those who tortured and those who were tortured coexist in the same land? Death and the Maiden is centred around this conundrum,where Paulina is seen as one of the 30,000 torture-survivors, Gerardo as the head of the Commission and Roberto as one of the many Chileans who lived in fear of his crimes being revealed.
In Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden, time and place play an extremely vital role in determining the situation, the relationships and the development of the play.
ReplyDeleteThe play exposes the iniquities of dictatorial military governments, like those of
the Pinochet regime in Chile, as well as addresses problems a country in the twentieth century, shifting from dictatorship to democracy would be likely to face.
Time is significant in the play, which is set in the late-twentieth century era of provisional political transformation. In this social setting, women were given a subordinate position in society and considered inferior to their husbands. This has proof in the way Gerardo speaks to Paulina, calling her his “little baby” and “silly girl” as if she were a child. He uses pacifying language and embracement to calm her down rather than explain the predicaments to her. Dorfman therefore addresses the question “ what happens when women take power”, which was an unanswered and incalculable question in the twentieth century. In Death and the Maiden, the gun is used as a symbol to show Paulina’s control over her husband. This reflects the social changes taking place, as a country shifts from dictatorship to democracy. Women begin to become more equal to their male counterparts and achieve a higher status in society, gaining more confidence, control, and authority.
Place is of great importance in this play, especially because of the nature of the government in Chile in the 90’s. Paulina and Gerardo were, along with the rest of their country, experiencing an uneasy transition from strict dictatorship to democracy. Chile, undergoing this change, inhabited the victims as well as the tormenters. Dorfman explores how the two can coexist in the same society, and what this might result in. There were people who wanted the past terror buried forever and some who wanted it to be revealed and divulged in its entirety, to the country. These split opinions are exemplified by Gerardo, who wanted to forget the incarceration inflicted upon Paulina and Paulina herself, who was finally ready to face her abuse and reveal it to the Commission.
Dorfman has written this play, with time and place being the most important indicators of the plot. He reviles the situation of a country reeling with the pain of the dictatorship of the past, the mayhem and disorder of the present and the uncertainty of the future, felt by every dweller of a country moving from a dictatorial government to a democratic one.
ReplyDeleteExploring the time and place in which the Death and the Maiden is set allows us to get a more holistic view of the play, and allows for greater understanding of the characters and play’s background. A play like this is not written in isolation from its cultural and political background – it is, in fact, deeply rooted in these elements.
By recognizing that the play is set in a Chile that has only recently emerged from an intense period of dictatorship, marred by suffering and injustice, one can understand why the country is in a state of political tumult and why the people are so afraid of speaking up. The Chile in the play is still unstable and is on the brink of another coup, which could be triggered by a small move, thus calling for caution and weariness as exhibited by Gerardo. In the play, people are very suspicious of each other – as Paulina is suspicious of Roberto – as they have been subject to such turmoil, that they cannot trust anymore.
The historical fact that people were ruthlessly abused and raped during the coup substantiates the highly tormented character of Paulina, who claims to have been a victim of these crimes. This supports her vehement fight for the justice and closure that she has been denied for an awfully long time. In addition, the creation of an investigative council in the play reflects the real commission created in Chile after Pinochet’s regime. Like this, one can draw parallels between the play and reality, making the play seem more real, and thus augmenting its impact.
After President Allende was deposed in 1973, his Commander in Chief and confidant, Augusto Pinochet orchestrated a military coup and overthrew Allende’s government. Thereafter, Pinochet’s government proceeded to kidnap, torture, assassinate, kill, assault and rape tens of thousands of people for political reasons or as a result of political violence for almost 20 years.
ReplyDeleteThrough Paulina, Dorfman creates a character that embodies every tortured, assaulted and trapped victim of the regime. She is the essence of what has happened to Chile since Pinochet; a broken woman representing a broken country that is slowly getting back up on its feet, but it is not without scars. While the play is definitely feminist, as is quite evidently emphasized in various scenes, the play captures a much larger focus. It represents aspects of the regime- Paulina, playing the broken, terrorized people of Chile, Roberto, her personal Pinochet and Gerardo, who could, debatably, be a passive accomplice or representing in some way, the head of the commission. He could also simply be the common Chilean who wants to move on and yet uphold his morality and deliver justice; most Chileans either were or knew victims of the regime.
The time and place of the play is what substantiates the play itself, because it manages, ever so subtly, to express the collective, potent grief of Chile in such a painfully honest way that one cannot deny that it embodies the struggles that this country has faced.
The harder concept of Chile’s history to grasp is the fact that President Aylwin’s democratic government was set up while Pinochet was still in the picture as Commander of the military. This could somehow, represent the fact that it took years until the victims of his regime were atoned for, or given justice. Until then, they and their families, and the whole of Chile would have to live with the fact that someone they knew could very well have been their torturer, as was the case of a certain Reyes Manzo, a survivor and victim of the regime. This is clearly mirrored in the plot of the play, where Dorfman exemplifies the uncertainty of living from one day to another and moving on from the past in a country just reawakening after a dictatorship. Just as Gerardo remarks that it takes time for one to get used to a friendly knock on the door in the middle of the night, it will take time for the scars that Paulina and the people of Chile have, to heal.
Pinochet’s regime found method in its madness. The military government of Chile, under General Augusto Pinochet, included gruesome acts of physical and sexual abuse, as well as psychological damage. Pinochet overthrew Allende, the former socialist president of Chile, in 1973, and took control of the country. Pinochet instilled fear among his citizens, and reports state that around 3197 people were killed with more than 29,000 people tortured, murdered and raped. The emotions prevalent in a setting like this consisted of fear, apprehension, boiling anger and frustration. Being a part of this chaos, Ariel Dorfman was able to reflect these sentiments in his play. Paulina was a product of the human right violations that were so widely committed during Pinochet’s period. The time and period matter significantly as they were what influenced Ariel to produce a piece which revolved around Chile’s politics after 1973. The time and period have been driving forces that have helped even the readers grasp the deeper meaning of the text.
ReplyDeleteBlood, violence, torture and anger these words give the world a clear description of what 20 years under General Pinochet was like. Over 30,000 people were killed and tortured during this period. General Pinochet eventually took charge of Chile’s military coup and lost his role as the president to Alwyin. President Aylwin was setting up a Commission that would showcase the crimes of the dictatorship that ended in death, but would neither name the perpetrators nor judge them. The Chilean government was trying to heal a heavily scarred country with the implementation of various laws. The switch from Pinochet to Alwyin was a significant time for the people of Chile, as many people who had been tortured believed that justice would now be given. The transition from a dictatorship to a democracy perfectly set the stage for Ariel Dorfman’s ‘Death and the maiden’. Paulina, Gerado and Roberto the three characters of the play reflected various emotions due to their past. Paulina being a victim of General Pinochet’s dictatorship, Roberto being part of it and Gerado being a part of the new government and the Chilean transition.
ReplyDeleteAfter waiting for 17 years in exile, the events and time Chile was going through gave Ariel Dorfman the opportunity to write ‘Death and the Maiden’. Time and place being the most important indicators of the plot, Ariel Dorfman takes the readers through the tough times in Chile with the help of three fictional characters that many fellow Chileans would relate to.
Ariel Dorfman himself acknowledges the importance of time and place in understanding the context and subtleties of Death and the Maiden, emphasizing the vitality of setting and historical background in the nuances of the play. The political turmoil in Chile, from President Allende's fall to the military dictatorship headed by General Pinochet, sets the stage for Paulina, Gerardo and Roberto; each representing the different ideologies coexisting in the uneasy peace of post 1988 Chile.
ReplyDeleteAt the crux of the play is the mass violation of human rights, carried out by the military regime against its own citizens, as well as the fear of history repeating itself. Dorfman seems to communicate the apprehension of the era using his characters as metaphors for the situation in Chile. Gerardo represents the newly established democracy - ambitious, earnest and yet, prone to political correctness and diplomacy. Paulina represents the violated and abused supporters of Allende with Roberto, her tormentor, as Pinochet and his dictatorial regime.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the play is its setting in regards to political situation; a frail democracy, where the threat of return to military dictatorship looms continuously. The cost of this democracy is explored by Dorfman in what he calls an 'Aristotelian sense' while giving the reader a realistic idea of a country trying to heal itself, much like Paulina, who must make peace with the demons of her past to be able to look to the future. In essence, this, the historical and political story of Chile, is the driving force of the play, bringing its characters to life.
Set at the end of Pinochet’s seventeen-year rule of Chile, Death and the maiden provides insight into a post-dictatorship Chile. At the time newly elected President Patricio Aylwin begins setting up a Commission that would investigate crimes committed by the dictatorship. However only the crimes ending in death would be examined. This was an important step in the country’s history, as at least some of the truth on the terror unleashed would finally come to light.
ReplyDeleteHe had to be cautious though, as even though Pinochet was no longer in power, his influence, disciples and pernicious shadow was every. Still in charge of the army he remained powerful and ready to strike.
The time and period were the driving forces that influenced Dorfman to ask the unspoken questions that so many Chileans thought in private. How could the torturers and victims coexist peacefully together? How can you heal a country traumatized by oppression when the fear to speak out is still ubiquitous?
Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden is a symbol of reality and risk, as Dorfman was aware of the danger of writing about something being currently enacted. Nonetheless, Dorfman understood the importance of writing this work. The play is set in Chile and written at a time when the country was living through a precarious transition to democracy. Thus, Dorfman offers warranted importance to time and place in his play.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Augusto Pinochet tortured 30,000 people and killed 1,200-3,200 people during his regime, the Chileans weren't assured relief after he stepped down as President, as he was still in command of the armed forces. This meant that he could stage another coup if matters became unruly.
The question 'How can those who tortured and those who were tortured coexist in the same land?' is at the crux of the play and calls for considerable thought.
In order to appease the predicament faced by the country, the elected president named a commission to investigate the crimes carried out during Pinochet's dictatorship. This commission intended to pacify the torturers yet protect the perpetrators, as their names would not be disclosed.
Roberto represents the fearful tormentors, anticipating their future as the commission made their decision. Living in an atmosphere of apprehension and tension, these perpetrators hoped to beguile the innocent and get away with their crimes. Paulina represents the tortured and cheated. The ones who always make the sacrifice and "always concede, when something had to be conceded". She represents the ones who remained silent through out Pinochet's regime and now given the chance, get a taste of the thrill and high one gets when one holds someone’s life in ones palm. She realises that there is something terrifying about the way you can bend or break them, especially since they are the ones who broke you, irreparably. Through Paulina the question 'what happens when women take power?' has constantly but ambivalently tried to been answered. This was the case after Pinochet was no longer in power, as the women were finally allowed to speak and make use of their power, confidence and rights. Gerardo represents the democracy that wanted to forget the injustices inflicted upon the torturers, but still had to correct the wrongs omnipresent throughout the country.
One can draw several parallels between the play and the reality Dorfman lived in. However, Dorfman has tried to make the play universal, questioning and bringing to light the exploitations and bigotry present throughout the world.
Time and place play a significant role in getting a comprehensive view of the text. It enables us to understand the characters and context of the play. Dorfman wrote “Death and the Maiden” in Chile at a time when the country had just emerged from a dictatorship. This dictatorship had instilled a fear in the Chilean people to speak up and had suppressed them. This is revealed through Paulina’s character. Paulina is a symbol of all those women who suffered brutal crimes during Pinochet’s regime. At the time, Chile was unstable. A single event would potentially spark another coup. Gerardo expresses his sentiments of caution in light of the political instability. Dr. Miranda is a symbol of all the brutalities committed under the Pinochet regime. Dorfman was a supporter of Allende and loathed Pinochet. Since the play was set in a period of transition from dictatorship to democracy, Dorfman is able to paint a clearer picture of Chile.
ReplyDeleteThis play conveys the cultural and political situation in Chile. Time and place help the readers understand the text at a deeper level.
Time and place are incredibly significant elements to be considered when delving into the crux of Death and the Maiden. As Ariel Dorfman outlines the events that gave him the inspiration to write the play in the afterword, he himself acknowledges the importance of the context.
ReplyDeleteFollowing the coup that Pinochet had organized, President Allende was overthrown by the national forces, placing Pinochet in a position of power. Pinochet’s dictatorship brought about extensive change in Chile. Many Chileans were suffering tremendously, things that were done to them may still be unknown. Even Ariel Dorfman was exiled. However soon Pinochet was overthrown, though still in charge of the armed forced. Dorfman, now allowed to return to Chile, would however return to a country just coming out of devastation. The impacts on the people had been severe. Its transition to democracy gave Dorfman the perfect setting for the story which he had been trying to write for years.
It is this setting, I believe, which is ideal for the play. The time and place creates a very realistic element in Death and the Maiden. Its context even allows people to relate to it to a certain extent. Moreover, information about time and place provides the audience with an insight into the backgrounds of the characters, allowing the audience to truly form a link with Paulina, Roberto and Gerardo. I believe it is also very important in understanding the ending of the play, where a mirror lies in front of the three characters, forcing them each to look at themselves and look at each other. This in fact may perhaps have been a reflection of that time period, during the transition, when those who had been tortured and those who were the torturers had had to live with each other, silently. Considering time and place therefore may lead to a completely different interpretation of the text.
Even though Death and The Maiden is written in the present, it paves the way for the reader's mind to wander into the past.
ReplyDeletePresident Patricio Aylwis had set up a commission that would expose the crimes of the dictatorship that ultimately resulted in death. However, the commission would not judge or even name any of the guilty.
In his book, Dorfman exposes the trauma of the people who suffered during this period through Paulina, a woman who has been tortured and as a result, is damaged- physically as well as mentally. She is a representative of the people who crave justice but are unable to seek it. Dorfman's book can also categorised as feminist as it portrays the subdued roles of women at the time. Paulina is expected to do all of the housework and her opinions are not given much importance. Roberto Miranda represents the people who live in fear of their wrong- doings being excavated and their image tarnished. He also represents those who have given up their morals and ideals because of the harsh dictatorial regime. Gerardo is symbolic of the new democratic government that exists only to mention peace. It is calm even in the face of fire and this often results in grave injustice to the wounded and the innocent.
Death and the Maiden is a literary work that relies greatly on its context. Ariel Dorfman points out to the readers in the early stages of the play that it could be set in any country that is recovering from several years of dictatorship. History and the political scenario suggest that this country mentioned could represent Chile. Salvador Allende, a Marxist was elected as the president of the democracy of Chile in 1970. He adopted the ideals of ‘nationalization’ and ‘collectivization’ of civil land owners and industries. His control over the nation was short-lived, arguably non-existent. The 1973 coup d’état was a clear indication of legislative, judicial, military and international displeasure concerning Allende’s socialist approach toward leadership of Chile. The US intervention and their trepidation of a communist- dominated world allowed Augusto Pinochet to assume power.
ReplyDeleteYears later, where Dorfman places his characters, Pinochet and his army continue to exercise power over a nominally democratic government. The impending situation necessitated the new government to protect the misbehavior of the previous government. One of the main characters, Gerardo, is a constituent of the Commission assigned to investigate these offenses. He represents the guiltless law-abiding citizen who lives with the optimism of achieving true democracy. Paulina, his wife, is one of the victims of abuse at the hands of the military during their reign. Although she supports the new governing body, she does not trust them fully to obtain justice for all those who were wronged and survived. She characterizes the initially helpless, but later a disturbed and determined casualty in quest for justice and another chance at normal life; much like the country. Roberto embodies the originally powerless ‘dictator’, proud and complacent of his actions, escaping without as much as a scar.
Dorfman has used these characters to reveal the actuality of a dictatorship and slow transition into democracy.
Time and place is a crucial aspect is every play and novel. Similarly, Ariel Dorfman’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ has its predominant attention on the time and place given in the novel.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Dorfman has very carefully used the hardship and misery in Chile during and after the dictatorship to be the setting of his play. Chile at that time too had prisoners that went through this torture, it had the torturers that were bound with fear and then they had the ones that were helpless and waiting for justice. Hence, Dorfman’s decision to use a place in Chile as the setting of his novel was brilliant as it helped the audience understand the character of Paulina and the reason for her behavior.
In addition to that, time is extremely important in this play because it makes us understand the situation better. At that time, Pinochet – Chile’s dictator – had just been overtaken by a democratic party; it was the first time rule shifted from authoritarian to democratic hence there was political instability and imbalance. By dating this in the late-twentieth century Dorfman can explain torture, vengeance, suffering and guilt better as these emotions were amplified during that time as prisoners did go through torture under Pinochet’s rule.
Ariel Dorfman’s, ‘Death and the Maiden’ is a beautifully penned play that has an apt place and perfect time featured to fully justify the play.
Following the death of President Allende, Pinochet’s regime was a violent one. His government killed and tortured thousands. Many prisoners were subjected to grotesque forms of sexual torture. This historical fact plays a pivotal role in shaping the Death and the Maiden as the female protagonist, Paulina Salas, had been subjected to such torture.
ReplyDeleteDorfman began brainstorming the plot for Death and the Maiden while in exile, when Pinochet was still in dictatorship. When Chile returned to democracy in 1990, Dorfman resettled there. Dorfman’s dealing of events in immediate history (time and place) is what makes the play so realistic in its narration. The time and place matter as they formed Dorfman’s own thought process and views that ‘a fragile democracy is strengthened by expressing for all to see the deep dramas and sorrows that underline its existence and not by hiding the damage’. Residing in a country amidst such political turmoil would undoubtedly influence the end product of the play.
In a text such as Death and the Maiden, time and place are vital to the plays overall understanding and its historical significance. The place in the play could be any country, recently under a democratic government after a long period of dictatorship. Though the play does not specify the country it is set in, its storyline draws parallels with the state of the Chile at the time. Dorfman himself stated that observing his countries commission gave him the key to resolving his own ideas. Time and place matter in making historical references, through which Dorfman could address the country on a larger scale rather than mere individuals.
The time and place have been very carefully chosen by Dorfman to flawlessly weave the characters into a situation, which is real enough for the audience to get woven in with them. Thus, cultural context holds an imperative responsibility in the play; a responsibility that lies primarily in engaging the audience, something which is only possible if the audience feel the theme of the production can be applied to any aspect of their life, personal or not.
ReplyDeleteDorfman does this beautifully with Death and the Maiden by placing it in the midst of a political change so great; it affects every miniscule area of the victims of that change. I say victims to shed light on the consequences of the reason for change. The uneasy transition to democracy was a rough winding road for the tired population of Chile after having lived years under an aggressive dictatorship.
Paulina represents the fatalities the dictatorship resulted in, the scars, which they lived with as the penalties of survival. She had been violated in the most intimate ways, much like the people of Chile had under Allende. She was brutally raped and ruthlessly tortured. After a point, the Chileans and Paulina stopped living and started existing in order to survive those events. The gloom of being stuck in a body, which has been through such defilement, portrays the gloom of being stuck in a country, which has been defiled in unmentionable ways.
Roberto is the torturer, on a real and metaphorical level. He not only is Paulina’s personal torturer but also portrays Allende, illustrating the idea that even after having caused so much pain and suffering he still isn’t left without any power. Allende was the head of the military forces, which gives him the power to still exercise some amount of control. Roberto is a doctor who like Allende misused his position and yet is rewarded with the same position but in a very different context. There were so many tormentors who got away much like Roberto, worse there were so many victims caught in the claustrophobic memories, which impacted and dominated their lives in the smallest and biggest ways.
Gerardo is an epitomic representation of democracy itself. He represents not Pinochet but Pinochet’s ideas. Depicting the hunger for a clean slate due to a blatant ignorance of the impossibility to move on from something, which clearly isn’t over for many. The idea of democracy could only have a positive outcome if it didn’t have painful memories being made real with the Robertos of the world roaming freely. The Gerardos might want to move on, but they have to consider the Paulina who simply…can’t.
The paradox of Death And The Maiden is that time and place were what brought the story to life, as explained by Dorfman, and they were also precisely what Dorfman wanted to break away from in order to make the play a universal mirror.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the fact that the play was based so intensely on the goings-on of his home country, Chile, enabled Dorfman to bring out the intricacies of human nature in such situations, allowing the complex and relatable characters to allude to but not limit the play to Chile's struggle. The play does not focus solely on time and place or provide a superficial or encyclopaedic account.
Instead, it draws on themes such as memory, bias, lies, forgiveness, aspirations, trust, progression and women's subordination, a theme that appears as though it will never cease to be relevant. The reader finds that not only will victims of Pinochet's dictatorship empathise with Paulina, but so will women from all times and all countries. I think that had the victim been a man, the reader's sympathy - especially that of the Chileans at the time - would have been very much determined by their political views. By having Paulina, she may have run less of a risk of being categorised and was potentially viewed in a more universal sense- ironic, given the misogynistic society.
Dorfman writes in his afterword that Aylwin's challenge was to steer his way between those who wanted the past "brutally buried" and those who wanted it "totally revealed." I feel that this is precisely what Dorfman had to do between his characters, and he did it in such a way that the reader's empathy can change from paragraph to paragraph, illustrating the conflicts of emotions and reason that took hold of Chile in the wake of General Pinochet's dictatorship.
At the time, Chileans had to face what they had "always known in a private and fragmented fashion", try to make it "official history". Time and place are evidently crucial here as Paulina, Gerardo and Roberto faced the same challenge from different sides. In Chile at the time and in other countries for decades after, the unspeakable events and those who lost their voice were given a unified expression through Death And The Maiden.
Set in the post dictatorship world of Chile, Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden is brought to life by the political unrest surrounding the setting. Although Dorfman's central message of the play was meant to be universal, it is evident that the time and place of the play is pivotal for the reader's understanding.
ReplyDeleteThe novel's themes of sufferance, vengeance, torture and justice are perfectly mirrored and associated with Pinochet's rule of Chile. The play is set in a time where the people who were greatly oppressed under Pinochet's dictatorship can now come to the fore and seek not only justice, but an anger fueled way of vengeance. Paulina seems to be one of these oppressed characters as she goes about seeking justice for what had happened to her years ago. Gerardo in the play represents newly elected Patricio Aylwin's commission that has been introduced for the sole purpose of justice for people who suffered in the world of Pinochet. Roberto represents one of the people at risk due to the end of a dictatorship, as his wrongs are bound to reveal themselves along with the crimes of Chileans over the past years.
Ariel Dorfman's novel is given fuel to by the fact that the victims of torture and the torturers themselves were living freely on the same streets. The powerful means of justice are what the novel and the change in Chile signify.
The time and place have been very carefully chosen by Dorfman to flawlessly weave the characters into a situation, which is real enough for the audience to get woven in with them. Thus, cultural context holds an imperative responsibility in the play; a responsibility that lies primarily in engaging the audience, something which is only possible if the audience feel the theme of the production can be applied to any aspect of their life, personal or not.
ReplyDeleteDorfman does this beautifully with Death and the Maiden by placing it in the midst of a political change so great; it affects every miniscule area of the victims of that change. I say victims to shed light on the consequences of the reason for change. The uneasy transition to democracy was a rough winding road for the tired population of Chile after having lived years under an aggressive dictatorship.
Paulina represents the fatalities the dictatorship resulted in, the scars, which they lived with as the penalties of survival. She had been violated in the most intimate ways, much like the people of Chile had under Pinochet. She was brutally raped and ruthlessly tortured. After a point, the Chileans and Paulina stopped living and started existing in order to survive those events. The gloom of being stuck in a body, which has been through such defilement, portrays the gloom of being stuck in a country, which has been defiled in unmentionable ways.
Roberto is the torturer, on a real and metaphorical level. He not only is Paulina’s personal torturer but also portrays Pinochet, illustrating the idea that even after having caused so much pain and suffering he still isn’t left without any power. Pinochet was the head of the military forces, which gives him the power to still exercise some amount of control. Roberto is a doctor who like Pinochet misused his position and yet is rewarded with the same position but in a very different context. There were so many tormentors who got away much like Roberto, worse there were so many victims caught in the claustrophobic memories, which impacted and dominated their lives in the smallest and biggest ways.
Gerardo is an epitomic representation of democracy itself. He represents not Allende but Allende’s ideas. Depicting the hunger for a clean slate due to a blatant ignorance of the impossibility to move on from something, which clearly isn’t over for many. The idea of democracy could only have a positive outcome if it didn’t have painful memories being made real with the Robertos of the world roaming freely. The Gerardos might want to move on, but they have to consider the Paulina who simply…can’t.
Dorfman has made use of time and place in this play in a very clever manner. Its been used as a tool to connect to the audience on a universal level. It is a real life situation everyone ca relate to , wether they were involved in the events that took place or not. It gives the play context, and tells the audience what his inspiration was.
ReplyDeleteDorfman has sets the play right in the midst of a great political change. one from a dictatorship to a democracy. In this play, each character represents a certain aspect of this political revolution. President Allende has been overthrown my the military, thus putting Pinochet in position of great power, allowing him to create a dictatorship, that brought Chile to its knees. During Pinochet's reign, thousands were tortured and many were exiled, this included Dorfman. Only after Pinochet was overthrown, did Dorfman come back. The consequences of this dictatorship on this people were severe, people had been raped, tortured and killed. Even though the period of terror had ended, its resonance was still felt.
The audience had information about the time and place this play was set in, giving them an insight into the characters and their background. Due to the relevance of place and time, the audience will be able to draw a connection between Paulina and the victims of the dictatorship.. She represents the tortured, it tells the audience how the scars of the dictatorship have remained with the victims even years after. Roberto can be compared to Pinochet, the head of the military forces in Chile. It shows that even after torturing many, he has faced no consequences. Roberto was a doctor, like Pinochet had a position of great importance and misused it. His actions have made hundreds suffer and left them suffering years later.
Gerardo, represents Allende's ideas, his democratic approach to forget the past and move forward.
The election of Salvador Allende in the 1970 presidential election in Chile bred a phobia of a communist regime coming to power. To counter this fear, the United States orchestrated the coup d'état on 11 September 1973. Its objective was to exterminate any suggestion of socialism by overthrowing Allende and facilitating the regime of Augusto Pinochet – a symbol of their paranoia. Under Pinochet’s dictatorship, Chileans were victimized.
ReplyDelete‘Death and the Maiden’ is a literary quintessence of Pinochets reign in Chile and the country's progress towards egalitarianism after him. Through Paulina, Dorfman conveys the horrors of the regime. He sculpts her character to exemplify the victims and represent their desperation for justice. Gerardo is a symbol of the slow transition to change and Roberto, an embodiment of Pinochet himself.
In order to understand the significance of the play, one must delve into its setting. It is imperative to comprehend the context and historical background in order to appreciate Dorfmans sentiments towards his country. Without a clear knowledge of the time and place, Death and the Maiden is merely a tragedy and its subtle relevance is lost.
It was against the stained canvas of tumultuous Chilean history that Ariel Dorfman set his iconic play, Death and the Maiden. The cultural context remains essential to our understanding of the play as a whole. In the afterword, Dorfman elucidates how he was unable to do the play justice until his return to Chile in the post-dictatorial period.
ReplyDeleteThe time period in which the play is set is a transitionary one. Chile is still recovering from the shock of their leftist socialist President, Salvador Allende, being brutally conspired against and killed under the orders of the US, for its private business interests, as well as his own army general, Augusto Pinochet. Allende’s death was followed by Chile’s political system undergoing a radical change, from a stable democracy to a volatile oligarchy under the dictatorship of Pinochet. His first years in power were spent ruthlessly torturing and murdering innocent Chileans like Paulina.
His reign was marked by first the economic depression of 1982 and the shift towards a free market economy. This caused him to fall out of favour with many Chileans and Pinochet was denied a second term in office. However, he remained the commander of the armed forces and continued to exercise some hold over the Chilean people. After the election of the new President, Patricio Aylwin, caution had to be used when dealing with the repercussions of the crimes of Pinochet’s regime due to the support he still had from a large proportion of the Chilean people. A compromise was reached and a commission known as the Rettig Commission was set up. This commission represented the one Gerardo had been appointed as the head of, the commission which investigated only those cases that had ended in death. The sufferers who lived through the abuse were forced to suffer the injustice done to them with no respite. The commission didn’t even prosecute the perpetrators for their crimes, the full knowledge of these crimes was the only consequence.
In this manner, the setting of the play remains crucial to our wholesome understanding of the play and its primary purpose and themes.