Sir Arthur George Jennings Character Analysis in A Brief History of Seven Killings

Sir Arthur Jennings, sometimes nicknamed Artie, is a former politician who was murdered by being pushed off a balcony at the Sunset Beach Hotel in Montego Bay. He is already dead at the beginning of the novel, and he narrates the prelude to each of the five sections of the novel from the afterlife, which he describes as boring and frustrating. Sir Arthur is particularly exasperated by the fact that almost everyone who is still living thinks he fell of the balcony, and the man who murdered him––who is eventually revealed to be Peter Nasser––remains free.

Sir Arthur George Jennings Quotes in A Brief History of Seven Killings

The A Brief History of Seven Killings quotes below are all either spoken by Sir Arthur George Jennings or refer to Sir Arthur George Jennings . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).

That's what happens when you personify hopes and dreams in one person. He becomes nothing more than a literary device.

Related Characters: Sir Arthur George Jennings (speaker), The Singer

Page Number and Citation: 3

Explanation and Analysis:

Sir Arthur George Jennings Character Timeline in A Brief History of Seven Killings

The timeline below shows where the character Sir Arthur George Jennings appears in A Brief History of Seven Killings. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Sir Arthur George Jennings writes that “dead people never stop talking.” People think that Jennings fell off a balcony... (full context)

Masculinity, Sexuality, and Homophobia Theme Icon

When Jennings’ body was found, people claimed he had been sleepwalking. He explains that death is dirty... (full context)

...dies, he does not at first realize he’s dead, and walks to the Singer’s house. Jennings explains that people who are just about to die can see the dead. This is... (full context)

Jennings addresses the Singer and his ill-fated toe. The Singer is in Jamaica, recording a new... (full context)

...more medical treatment. The JLP win the election, and the man (Peter Nasser) who murdered Jennings is now in power. On May 11, 1981, the Singer dies in Miami. (full context)

Jennings describes the Singer’s funeral, at which there are four priests, an Ethiopian archbishop, and Rastas... (full context)

Sir Arthur George Jennings Character Analysis

Sir Arthur George Jennings Quotes in A Brief History of Seven Killings

Part 1, Sir Arthur George Jennings Quotes

Sir Arthur George Jennings Character Timeline in A Brief History of Seven Killings