Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman

Death and the Maiden is the three act play written by Ariel Dorfman in response to the social, economic, and political events surrounding the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile and its eventual overthrow and governmental shift to democracy. 

Set in a country (presumably Chile, but never specified) that has recently returned to a democracy. Paulina Salas waits at home for her husband, Gerardo Escobar, a lawyer recently named to the Commission in charge of investigating the crimes of the old regime, to return home. When Gerardo returns accompanied by Roberto Miranda, a doctor who has stopped to give Gerardo a ride after his car gets a flat tire, Paulina believes she is again hearing the voice of the man who raped and tortured her years before. Taking matters into her own hands, Paulina detains Roberto, seeking the justice that has been denied to her.

I must confess that I do not know much about Chilean history or the dictatorship of Pinochet, except what little I have picked up in my effort to provide my students with some historical context for this play. I think the background of the author and the historical context of the play are important element to understanding this play, but it can also be read and understood without them. What I most appreciated about this play is not the historical connections, but rather the more universal themes it addresses, which were wonderfully summed up by the author in the Afterword:

Death and the Maiden is “not only about a country that is afraid and simultaneously needful of understanding its fear and its scars, not only about the long-term effects of torture and violence on human beings and the beautiful body of their land, but about other themes that have always obsessed me: what happens when women take power. How can you tell the truth if the mask you have adopted ends up being identical to your face? How does memory beguile and save and guide us? How can we keep our innocence once we have tasted evil? How to forgive those who have hurt us irreparably? How do we find a language that is political but not pamphletary? How to tell stories that are both popular and ambiguous, stories that can be understood by large audiences and yet contain stylistic experimentation, that are mythical and also about immediate human beings?”

Dorfman style is simplistic, but deliberate. Each word, each action, every nuance has a purpose. He does some pretty amazing things with symbolism, particularly with the use of silence and sound, and light and darkness. It is through these things that Dorfman artfully explores the issues of power, forgiveness, and justice. What I appreciated most about the play is that Dorfman does not thrust his bias down your throat, but leaves it up to you to make your own decisions. I found myself sympathizing with different characters at different points in the play, sometimes shocked at myself for sympathizing with characters that I previously scorned. The end is ambiguous, leaving the audience to decide what is justified in the end.

Be warned that this play does include sensitive topics, such as rape and torture, and does contain language that may be considered inappropriate. Nevertheless, I do think it is a worthwhile read and I would love to see it performed one day. There is a movie adaptation, but I have been told that it deviates from the play.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

This school year has been a series of firsts for me - new school district, first time teaching high school, first time teaching English - so this means that not only will I be spending my time pleasure reading, but I will also be spending time reading for school. The Crucible is a fairly standard staple in most high school English curriculum, but I somehow managed to not read it. My only explanation is that I was always in Honors English, and while the general level read The Crucible, we did not. I believe we read The Scarlet Letter instead, if I recall correctly...

For those of you who may not have read it, The Crucible is a play by Arthur Miller that is based on the Salem witch trials which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in the 17th century. While the characters and events in the play are based on real historical people and events, Miller does make changes and it is a work of fiction. It was written in 1953 and Miller uses the Salem witch trials as a mirror for the Communist hysteria spearheaded by Senator McCarthy. 

While I had never read the actual play, I have seen the movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. The film is excellent and faithful to the original play. Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor is amazing, especially at the end when John Proctor faces the decision of whether or not he is willing to sign his name to a false confession. The play itself is amazingly well written and the parallels between the witch trials and the events of the 1950's are remarkable, especially considering the span in history between the two events. The historian in me loves this and I'm reminded of a college professor who always used to say, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it sure rhymes a lot."

As with any play, I prefer to see it performed, but I did enjoy reading the play. It has led to some great discussions, particularly on justice, identity, relationships and motivation in class. Students seem to connect to the play and I've enjoyed hearing their opinions. The Crucible has some amazing dynamic characters - namely John and Elizabeth Proctor and Reverent Hale - and their journeys make for an engaging and entertaining read. What I like most about this play is that there are so many avenues for exploring and delving into the text. The nerd in me always loves this and it's one thing that I miss about being a student myself - the discussions, the analyzing of texts, the exploration of the events and characters, the making of connections. Fortunately, in my new role I have been able to get back to this in many ways and The Crucible has proven to be a very engaging text.