Two popular Caribbean novels, Roger Mais’s Brother Man and Marlon James’s A Brief History of Seven Killings share quite a few themes and ideas. Indeed, both novels, centered around Kingston, showcase an impoverished community and feature similar cultural characteristics. While there are plenty of differences between these two works, their similarities are far more numerous. By evaluating the themes and formal methods of presentation within these works, it becomes easy to compare what these two novels are trying to say about Caribbean cultural identity, community, and politics.
Primarily, the most evident comparison between the two novels is their episodic structure. Each section of the novels is broken up by a different character in a different …show more content…
The two works both make use of regional dialect and slang, and they both use language as a means of communicating culture and literary themes. Without a doubt, within Brother Man, language is essential to understanding the characters. Though none of the characters in this novel uses “Standard British English”, there is definitely a variation in the language used among themselves. For example, the first two characters that we meet, are Girlie and Papacita. Neither of these two is very educated and that fact is exacerbated by their language use. “Ain’t troublin’ you, go somep’n else on you’ mind, mu’s be….” (Mais 11). Through their language alone there is plenty of characterization for these characters: they have not been educated abroad, they are not part of the upper-class of Jamaican society, and they are not Rastafarian. This is opposed to Brother Man, who speaks in clear sentences and uses phrases specifically associated with his religion. The same usage of language in the dialogue is noticeable in A Brief History of Seven Killings. Throughout, there is a noticeable difference not only in dialogue, but in the way each character tells their story. Indeed, in the last section where no names are used, it is still distinguishable who is speaking based on the language. There are characters like Nina who belong to the upper class area of Kingston who use “Standard British …show more content…
In Brother Man, Brother Man is often messiah-like, as the novel focuses on his devotion to his religious beliefs and to his morality. However, the jealousy and the sins of the community end with them violently attacking and killing him. A Brief History of Seven Killings also features a messianic character: The Singer. Though he is far less tied to the Bible than Brother Man, he is certainly connected to religious beliefs and mystical practices. His very presence in the novel and lack of identity adds to his mystical existence. However, people from his own community are motivated by greed and jealousy to try to assassinate him. And though they fail to do so, their violent attempt is the center of the novel, and fuels all of the actions of the other characters as the novel
Primarily, the most evident comparison between the two novels is their episodic structure. Each section of the novels is broken up by a different character in a different …show more content…
The two works both make use of regional dialect and slang, and they both use language as a means of communicating culture and literary themes. Without a doubt, within Brother Man, language is essential to understanding the characters. Though none of the characters in this novel uses “Standard British English”, there is definitely a variation in the language used among themselves. For example, the first two characters that we meet, are Girlie and Papacita. Neither of these two is very educated and that fact is exacerbated by their language use. “Ain’t troublin’ you, go somep’n else on you’ mind, mu’s be….” (Mais 11). Through their language alone there is plenty of characterization for these characters: they have not been educated abroad, they are not part of the upper-class of Jamaican society, and they are not Rastafarian. This is opposed to Brother Man, who speaks in clear sentences and uses phrases specifically associated with his religion. The same usage of language in the dialogue is noticeable in A Brief History of Seven Killings. Throughout, there is a noticeable difference not only in dialogue, but in the way each character tells their story. Indeed, in the last section where no names are used, it is still distinguishable who is speaking based on the language. There are characters like Nina who belong to the upper class area of Kingston who use “Standard British …show more content…
In Brother Man, Brother Man is often messiah-like, as the novel focuses on his devotion to his religious beliefs and to his morality. However, the jealousy and the sins of the community end with them violently attacking and killing him. A Brief History of Seven Killings also features a messianic character: The Singer. Though he is far less tied to the Bible than Brother Man, he is certainly connected to religious beliefs and mystical practices. His very presence in the novel and lack of identity adds to his mystical existence. However, people from his own community are motivated by greed and jealousy to try to assassinate him. And though they fail to do so, their violent attempt is the center of the novel, and fuels all of the actions of the other characters as the novel