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
Demus is inside a house by the sea with Josey Wales, Bam-Bam, Weeper, Heckle, Renton, Funky Chicken, and two men from Jungle whose names he doesn’t know. Three nights ago, another man in the crew, Matic, had a seizure while trying to freebase cocaine and died. Each of the remaining men has been trained to shoot M16 rifles. They have 21 guns, and 840 bullets. Demus pictures himself descending on the Singer’s house, bringing death with him.
The reckless violence Josey and his crew bring to the lives of others also applies to themselves; the death of Matic is barely given any thought. Once again, the sense that life is disposable perpetuates the cycle of extreme violence in the ghetto.
Themes
