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 can’t sleep, so he asks a taxi driver to take him somewhere that’s “still jumping.” At first the driver is resistant, reminding Alex that it’s past curfew, but eventually he agrees to try and find somewhere. They pull up to the Turntable Club, and Alex ends up sleeping with a Jamaican woman called Aisha. The next day he has a lunch date with Mark Lansing, who has offered to help him get access to the Singer. Alex goes to get coffee, leaving Aisha asleep in his bed.
One recurring motif in the novel is the desire of white American men for black Jamaican women. Although Alex may not be conscious of it, his desire to sleep with Aisha seems related to seem at home in Jamaica and access the “authentic” side of the country.
Themes
