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Justice And Freedom In Ariel Dorfman's Death And The Maiden

958 Words4 Pages

A dictatorship thrives on oppression that triggers effects impacting the life of the citizens; on the other side, a democracy conveys freedom that shows equality. Both experiences vary from person to person, but if the regime caused terrible traumas, it would be unforgettable to anyone. That being the case, Ariel Dorfman wrote the play Death and the Maiden in order to reveal the Chilean situation in 1990 after Pinochet’s government. Revenge, freedom, justice, injustice, forgiveness, and torture are the main themes represented by the play. Gerardo, who is a lawyer that works in a committee that investigates the crimes of the old regime; Paulina, his wife, who was raped and tortured; and Roberto Miranda, the one that according to Paulina, was responsible of her suffering. Moreover, the interpretation of the text depends on the reader, his culture, and the text. In first place, how the political background of the reader is connected with that of the play, relating the understanding of the characters’ acts with the reader’s thinking. In second place, how Dorfman embraces mystery in the play in order to make independent the interpretation of the meaning of justice. Therefore, Dorfman wants to leave a message within the plot that could be interpreted in different ways corresponding to the reader’s experiences. Dorfman makes reference of what he has lived and his political concerns through the plot of the play. He makes a connection in the transition between a dictatorship

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