Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Brief History of Seven Killings, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Violence vs. Peace
Masculinity, Sexuality, and Homophobia
Jamaican Culture and Identity
Politics, Power, and Corruption
Witness and Storytelling
Summary
Analysis
Alex writes that the West Kingston ghetto is like hell, and that it can’t be put into words. He uses melodramatic, sensual language to describe life in the ghetto, and then chastises himself for “sensationalism.” There is a blackout, and Kingston is eerily quiet. Alex feels like he is “in over my head.” He keeps writing, describing Jamaican musical culture before returning to the “lawless” world of downtown Kingston. He feels that his story needs “a narrative line,” a hero, a villain, and a damsel. He is fixated on Bill Adler and what “he knows.”
Alex is plagued by confusion about Jamaica. At times it seems as if his desire to know the “real” Jamaica clouds his ability to actually see the country for what it is. Moreover, Alex cannot help but fall into clichés when attempting to tell his story. He describes the ghetto in overly dramatic terms and tries to find a hero, villain, and damsel, when the reality is far more complicated.
Themes
