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
Part Two is set on December 3, 1976. In the police car, Nina is certain that the two police officers are about to rape her. The waiting is unbearable. The police ask her if she’s a Rasta or socialist, but she doesn’t answer. They stop the car and the police get out and chat; eventually, Nina tells them that if they are going to rape her, they should get it over with. The police officers are left speechless with shock, and eventually take her home. Four hours later, Nina is still not able to sleep. She hasn’t eaten anything since the previous morning. She reflects on the fact that Jamaica is on the edge of anarchy, and “JLP goons” are surely about to kick off a fight that will leave Kingston burned to the ground.
Perhaps the most striking thing about this passage is the lack of relief after Nina is taken home safely by the police. Tension builds to an unbearable degree while she is waiting to be raped; however, after she shocks the police into taking her home, Nina is not even able to feel happy. This seems to be because violence and chaos is so all-encompassing in her world that escaping a single incident does not bring relief. To Nina, the only real escape would be immigrating and leaving Jamaica behind forever.
Themes
