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
Papa-Lo and Josey have stopped talking, and Papa-Lo reflects that it is strange that he now knows what Shotta Sherrif is thinking better than he knows about Josey. He walks to Josey’s house and blames himself for turning away from Josey, who is in some ways like a son to him. He knows what Josey is planning and that a lot of people will die by the time it’s carried out.
More than any other emotion, Papa-Lo is associated with the feeling of regret. He resembles the literary archetype of the mentor/father-figure who has created a monster that is now out of his control. Although Papa-Lo would like to undo the damage he has done, it is seemingly too late for that.
Themes
Just as Papa-Lo is about to get to Josey’s house, a spray of bullets cuts across the path in front of him, and police and soldiers jump out of three jeeps. The soldiers point their machine guns at Papa-Lo; meanwhile, Josey does not come out of the house. The police begin beating Papa-Lo until someone shouts that they need him alive. He is beaten to unconsciousness and wakes up in a jail cell.
Papa-Lo’s decreasing power is further emphasized by his ambush by police and soldiers. As has already been made clear, Josey is now untouchable, more powerful than the police. Papa-Lo, on the other hand, is once again subject to the arbitrary power of the law.
Themes
