Two Novels, One Theme: Violence in Authority - Essay Sample

Introduction

One Day of Life and The Feast of the Goat are the novels written by different authors, but they portray a similar theme. As you read them, you can identify various forms of violence that are initiated by the authorities whose main aim is to torture the ordinary people. There are many instances in these novels where violence unfolds in various forms, such as brutal killing and torture.

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The authors of the two novels have described how the events of violence unfolded in the countries led by a dictator. In "One Day of Life," the military uses force to enforce a "democratic way of life (Argueta 51)." There is a grisly murder and torture of people who are struggling with life while fighting for their rights. The author used different aspects to describe the living conditions of the oppressors and the oppressed. Argueta described how the authorities oppressed people, which prompted them to fight against the communism kind of leadership. The Indians, who the police refer to as "the enemy," stay together as a society so that they can have a chance to survive in a violent country where killing is the order of the day. People are forced to defend their country even at the expense of other community members. People are forced into violence because the authority brainwashed them and made them believe than the Indians are challenging democracy and Christianity. "The Feast of the Goat" also described the assassination of the family men. People assassinated Trujillo because they were tired with his dictatorship, violence and brutal killing of people. The despots in subjugated men and later took everything from them and gave nothing back except betrayal and terror. These stories are violent, moving, and horrifying. The Feast of the Goat also depicts the theme of "the effects of authoritarianism, violence, and the abuse of power on the individual." The dictators killed people's fathers, brothers, and friends, and they still wanted to kill women. They also killed traitors; "I killed a traitor with my own hands" (Llosa 46), Salvador confessed. They tortured people and eventually killed them.

Argueta also explained how the authorities are trained in martial arts by the Chinese, which will help them to fight the enemy. They taught because they believed that they could not make people suffer by using word of mouth. They had to fight them and torture them. Once the authorities have been trained and brainwashed by the dictators, they are beaten and made to believe that the people are their greatest enemies. Eventually, they will carry their weapons into Indian communities do that they can intimate and kill them. "They will threaten men of the community, especially if those who stand up against the government" (Argueta 117). People fight because they wanted the authorities to stop extrajudicial killing and advocate for equal treatment. As a result of the rebelliousness of the men, the despots will kill them to make other people fear them. As if this is not enough, they also beat children and women. In other circumstances, they rape and kill women. This act of violence is ruthless and evil. The author described the events that followed after the assassination of Trujillo. When his son returned from his career, he was determined to torture and kill the people who assassinated his father. Eventually, he tormented and killed people he suspected murdered his father. Vargas also succeeded in portraying the violence caused by dictators in Latin America. He included abuse and torture as the sense of reality to the reader to have an insight into what people went through under the leadership of despots. These two novels depict violence and violation of human rights. The authority is fighting people, and people are reacting back, which makes violence to escalate. The brutal behaviors in these books make people wonder why the violent levels were higher.

In Argueta's novel, the authorities are brainwashed to cause violence to make money for the wealthy while killing and torturing the poor. They used other means apart from the gunfight to cause a disturbance. Adolfina described the brutal murder of Justino because he helped organize demonstrations at the bank to demand the bank to lower the prices of seed and fertilizer. After the authority had murdered him, they hanged his head on the property post. As if this was not enough, all men who supported Justino were hunted down. The primary focus in this novel is the oppression and control the powerful and wealthy have over the poor and hardworking people. The landowner is also cruel and violence; they keep on torturing people and they will not want them to plant anything on the land. "The owners of the plantations never come around. They only zoom by the Detour in their cars. But don't let anyone dare to plant a little patch of land, heaven help him" (Argueta 63). "The Feast of the Goat" equally demonstrates the right-wing authoritarianism destructive force that is manifested with the brutality that lasted for 31 years. The fear the tyrants instilled in people made them forfeit liberty for the putative economic or social good which eventually made them become their oppressors. The brutal head of the military also supported Trujillo's regime, and he caused many executions, disappearances, and made people fall into disgrace suddenly. This officer is notorious for his cruelty especially killing people by throwing them into the water full of sharks. Everything he did was violent but it was a commendable thing to his chief.

Conclusion

In conclusion, violence is the primary theme that dominates the two books. For instance, in Argueta's book, the military used violence to coerce people to live a life that they claimed to be democratic. Killing and oppressing those who oppose them was the order of the day. People were only allowed to do what the dictators want, and anyone who attempted to resist the leader had to be tormented, tortured, and even killed. This brutality is witnessed in the destructive authoritarianism force used by the Trujillo's regime.

Works Cited

Argueta, Manlio. One day of life. Vintage, 1991.

Llosa, Mario Vargas. The feast of the goat. Macmillan, 2001.