How Does Kadare Characterize Gjorg's Death

Chloe Gahr

Mrs. Hannan

PD World Literature

March 27th, 2023

How does Kadare utilize Gjorg’s quick and sudden death to end the novel?

Broken April is most notably remembered for the characteristic style in which the author Ismail Kadare creates a narrative circling the imminent death of the mountaineer character Gjorg. Utilizing the literary technique of careful point-of-view and precise indirect evidence to end the novel. To capture the essence of Gjorg’s entire life up until the last moments of the book Kadare exclusively uses Gjorg’s view for his death, and withholds information about who killed Gjorg. Careful symbolism is coordinated so that the reader has to form their own conclusions as to the ending of the novel. Gjorg’s point of view

As his consciousness gives out he mentions wanting to see who had shot him, being turned on his back, and he declares that it was he who killed himself. This is incredibly picturesque and such a powerful realization on behalf of Gjorg, because while the text most definitely points toward Gjorg being killed by a Kryeqyqe, it is never explicitly stated. Kadare gives us, “Again, he heard footsteps, drawing away, and a number of times he wondered, whose steps are those?...Yes, he knew them, and the hands that had turned him on his back. They’re mine!... sprawled on the road, his own body that he had just struck down.”(Page 216). Kadare also says, “Gjorg, give my greetings to Zef Krye… but that gesture became confounded with the syllables qyqe, the last half of the hateful name,” (Page 215). While logically it is understood that Gjorg was killed by a Kyreqyqe, Gjorg declaring that he killed himself could be written off as post-traumatic-wound delusion, but it could also be seen as post-traumatic-wound clarity. Gjorg did kill himself, he killed himself the day that he killed Zef. Gjorg knew what he’d be subject to for the rest of his likely short life the moment his bullet hit the fated Kryeqyqe. The rest of the book was written the moment he fired, and the book's ending only fulfills that expectation. No amount of delusion and love could have saved Gjorg, or the reader, from what