Literary Analysis Essay on Murder in Memoriam by Didier Daeninckx

Introduction

Murder in Memoriam by Didier Daeninckx is a fictional crime story that gives a narration of cold bloodshed murder that involves a group of peaceful Algerian demonstrators who are marching to Paris to protest against a curfew that has been enforced following terrorist attacks. They are over 20,000 protestors who go through the wrath of police officers under the direction of Maurice Papon, the chief police commander. Although they are unarmed, they are brutalized by the police officers where 11,000 are jailed while others sustained fatal injuries, and approximately 300 people died. The story indicates that some were thrown into the Seine to drown and die there. The story is given through a flashback that dates back to October 17th, 1961.

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The narration then gives an account of Roger Thiraud, a history professor who is killed by the police amidst rioting swirls. It is however stated that he was caught in the scene of violence by accident .later his son who was born immediately after his death is also killed through mysterious circumstances. It is not without a reason that two history teachers die under mysterious circumstances. However, the answer to their killings could be lying in their profession as history teachers because they are trained in finding out the evidence of certain happenings. In this regard, Thiraud had just found some explosive information in the course of researching the history of Drancy the town in which he was born. The information is about the role the city played in hosting the Jews who had deported to the death camps during the Nazi revolutions. The research was done and archived by the Roger, and it is when his son is looking for the information he is also shot. The narrative is structured through the use of foreshadowing and foreplay to link the past to the current happenings. For instance, the novel starts with incidents that took place in 1961. It follows a nonlinear sequence of narration.

Daeninckx has explored a couple of themes in the crime fiction story, and it is one of the short stories that reveal the evil done by those in authority. Journeys structure the detective novel in a way that the evil ones in power eliminate the innocent people. It is through the structure that ignorance and knowledge are portrayed. While the leaders such Popan are aware of what is happening in the state and want to cover up for their evil the ignorant population is massacred in cold bloodshed. Similarly, Rogan is knowledgeable about the state of the town Drancy and has an explosive secret, and he is killed on the other hand his son is innocent and ignorant of what is happening, but he is also destroyed. Colonial France comprises of the territory of Algeria which is under the French colonial rule. They are denied several rights, and the French masters dominate them, colonial France is the mainland also known as European France. It is in metropolitan France that the Algerians are killed while protesting. Those in power exercise their authority in controlling and suppressing the powerless. For instance, the police brutally kill the protestors because they are helpless and could not defend themselves. They wrongly use power to oppress the powerless.

Similarly, the journeys structure also indicate the issues that are visible and those that are not through the evils that people in the society. For instance, the secrets covered by the Chief of police are invisible while those done by the citizens are considered visible and need to be suppressed. It is a case of unfairness. The provinces are the places where power is exercised while it is in Paris that the high and mighty stays. They give orders to the people in the areas as a way of maintaining control. In the novel there are instances where injustice is depicted for example in the killing and brutalizing of the 20,000 Algerians who were having peaceful demonstrations similarly, it is described the murder of Roger and his son.

On the other hand, justice is portrayed by Cadin who seeks to find the truth regardless of what it takes. His process of finding justice is hindered by bureaucracy in leadership. Out of darkness, he exerts lights. Also, people who choose to follow the truth face death and in this case, one is supposed to accept death or life. Roger dies because of following and revealing the truth; the Algerians are also killed because they are following the truth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that the narration gives an account of deaths that people meet in the hands of the powerful. It depicts a nation that is dominated by crime because of greed for power. Popan is an example of the people who wrongly use their power to eliminate others to achieve their selfish interests. On the other hand, Cadin and Roger are a representation of justice and the truth.

Works Cited

Daeninckx, Didier. Murder in Memoriam. Melville House, 2012.