Re-presenting Violence in the works of Jorge Amado, Gabriel García Márquez, and Ariel Dorfman

This dissertation seeks to examine the representation of violence in Jorge Amado’s 1958 novel Gabriela, Cravo e Canela, Gabriel García Márquez’ novel La mala hora (1962), Ariel Dorfman’s 1990 play La muerte y la doncella, and the film adaptations of these works. Each of the texts presents a different time frame of violence relative to the establishment of a repressive regime. Amado’s novel shows a society on the eve of a major revolution. In La mala hora, readers are exposed to a regime that has taken over but whose power and authority are being challenged. Lastly, Dorfman’s play focuses on the aftermath of an authoritarian-like regime where democracy exists but must face the burden of the past. In examining these three texts and the adaptations, I seek to, first, analyze the role of violence in each one. Is violence merely a destructive force? Or does it play a deeper role in society? Secondly, I examine the complex issues that arise when violence occurs in each pair; these points include but are not limited to breaking established traditions, trauma, recovery, reconciliation, justice, and moving on after a violent regime. In doing so, I explain what society can learn from these deeper points addressed by the texts and films. Lastly, with specific regard to the film adaptations, I argue that the way in which violence is depicted (or in some cases is omitted) is a reflection of the society of the target audience. In many cases, the target audience for the book and film are not the same. The movie may be intended for a completely dissimilar culture or audiences within the same nation but from different eras