When any sort of terrible act has been posed on someone, emotions can become the leading factor in that person’s decision making process. What exactly does someone do after enduring excruciating abuse from the hand of another individual? What are the options for a person who, say, has been tortured and raped repeatedly during the time of governmental strife in their country? Ariel Dorfman ties in the current struggles within Paulina Salas’s country and its conversion to democracy from a former period of dictatorship with the personal battle that the woman encounters. On the more personal level, our protagonist ultimately had to make a decision: was she after revenge or was she willing to forgive? To some victims, this question is in fact not even a question at all. The first thought of a victim would be revenge. This idea is presented when Paulina admits to Gerardo that she initially wanted to find a way to rape her rapist in order to force him to truly understand what struggles she had to suffer. The other extreme action she could take would be complete and total forgiveness. It is unclear what exactly happens at the end and whether or not Paulina does indeed let Roberto go. It is especially open for interpretation when reading the lines about Roberto’s appearance at the concert hall some months later: “He could be real or he could be an illusion in Paulina’s head”. The openness of the conclusion of this play leaves thinking room for readers or audience members. It forces us to think about what we would do in Paulina’s situation. We can also consider the effectiveness of violence as a response to violence; is it really the solution?
For more interpretations of violence and society, read this short review from a spectator of a London showing of Death and the Maiden:
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/blog/2011_10_24_deathandthemaiden/
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