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
Jennings describes the Singer’s funeral, at which there are four priests, an Ethiopian archbishop, and Rastas chanting. The new Prime Minister gives a eulogy, saying: “May his soul find rest in the arms of Jah Rastafari.” The Singer is posthumously given the Order of Merit, which is ironic considering he was a “black revolutionary.” The man who killed Jennings still won’t die, although he is getting old and irrelevant. The drug business is booming, killing many in its wake. Jennings observes that “three killers have outlived the Singer.” One––presumably Weeper––dies in New York, while another “sees and waits in Kingston.” The third is behind the Iron Curtain, waiting and knowing.
The different attendees and conflicting messages at the Singer’s funeral represent the battle over the Singer and how his image relates to Jamaica’s cultural and political identity. Just as during the Singer’s life, everyone present at the Singer’s funeral wants to claim him for themselves and the groups they represent. This leaves the reality of who the Singer was permanently lost, never completely knowable.
Themes
