Discrimination In 'Death And The Maiden'

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, discrimination is the “unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.” Paulina Salas, the female protagonist of Death and the Maiden, is a character that has endured the worst discriminatory excesses of the Pinochet regime; raped and denied her political voice. While Dorfman sets his play during the transition from dictatorship, there are still signs of discrimination evident in the Escobar household and the wider society of the play. Death and The Maiden explores the unrelenting past lives of the victims that lived under a dictator’s shadow, whom are unable to attain justice through the characters such as Doctor Miranda and Paulina’s husband, Gerardo. By revealing the dynamics of the relationship between these three characters, I will argue that Dorfman reveals and criticizes the restrictions placed upon Paulina to have social participation. Through this essay, I will specifically explore

Dorman could possibly be asking the audience to consider which character they associated with most through their acts of discrimination. Discrimination is morally unjust, and it is clear that within “Death and The Maiden” subtler forms of discrimination are at work, either through sexist remarks or political influence. Paulina Salas may not be able to obtain the justice that victims should be lawfully given, however she feels the need to gain redemption through the kidnapping of a possible past torturer, as this was the only way to obtain the justice she