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Death And The Maiden Play Essay

Decent Essays

In the play Death and the Maiden, written by Ariel Dorfman, Paulina goes through a deterioration of character. She steadily becomes more and more unstable, and her actions become alarmingly irrational. The events that took place in her captivation are gradually revealed as the play progresses, yet much is left unsaid, leaving it up to the reader's interpretation. There is no specific context to time and place as no historical events are introduced, however, it is revealed that the country is moving from a harrowing dictatorship to a democracy. The traumatic events Paulina experienced can be perceived differently by each reader through her reliance on a safe haven, the structure and techniques used in the play and the universal setting and time permitting alternate nations with varying social norms to differ the reader’s perception of Paulina. Dorfman’s undefined setting grants the play Death and the Maiden to be universal, thereby altering how each reader perceives Paulina’s trauma.

The author of Death and the Maiden chooses to have both a universal setting and personal setting. This decision enables the reader to perceive the events however they desire to do so, however, the personal setting underlines Paulina’s reliance on a safe place. Paulina’s personal setting, her home, is where she can feel secure and has the possibility to control what happens, contrary to when she was held in captivity. Her safe haven, however, is destroyed when Dr. Miranda intrudes her home. This

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