A Son's Perspective on Trauma and Justice in 'Death and the Maiden'

This essay presents an analysis of a letter written by Paulina's son in response to Ariel Dorfman's play, 'Death and the Maiden.' The letter offers a unique perspective on the events that transpired, focusing on the psychological and emotional toll of trauma on Paulina and the impact on her family. The author delves into themes of justice, societal expectations, and the concept of irreparable damage, highlighting the complex aftermath of the traumatic experience and the challenges faced by survivors. The letter also explores the role of Paulina's husband and the broader societal context in shaping her responses and actions. The essay argues that society's failure to fully acknowledge and support victims, coupled with the lasting impact of trauma, can lead to profound psychological consequences. The essay emphasizes the need for a more compassionate and understanding approach to trauma survivors, advocating for a society that prioritizes healing and justice over maintaining a facade of civility. The essay emphasizes the importance of empathy and the recognition of the long-term effects of trauma on individuals and communities, arguing that a true resolution requires acknowledging the victim's perspective and addressing the root causes of their suffering.

Running head: LETTER TO ARIEL DORFMAN
Letter to Ariel Dorfman
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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LETTER TO ARIEL DOEFMAN
Rationale
The written task is a written perspective of Paulina’s son based on the situations that
turned out to present themselves on one stormy night in the Play Death of a Maiden. this is a
great perspective to the story as the situations presented in the story is true beyond its context
and the people around the victim in such situations are more affected by the scenario. The whole
incident that affected Paulina is disturbing and moreover the government did not consider her a
victim as she survived the ordeal.
As the son of such a woman I, as her son write a letter to the author to show how other
aspects behind the situation she faced and how that turned her so vicious. This was also due to
the situation she faced in the justification of her actions to husband and the society. in this letter I
try to explain to the author how that one incident turned her life around and how vague is the
idea of irreparable damage in the society. I saw her breaking down within herself a number of
times, while maintaining a façade of a happy content woman but this never left her life. The
incident has scarred her in more ways than one and while the incident should be the one
forgotten but the psychological aspect of the treatment she received. Chile was a hard place to
live before being democratized and Paulina, my mother survives as an example to it.

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LETTER TO ARIEL DOEFMAN
The incomplete whole
In this letter, I choose to write why my mother Paulina could never be complete and that
was the reason in the she completely flipped when she faced the man, I am not talking about
justice, I talk about lost hopes and homes that have been damaged beyond repair thanks to the
war. My mother did nit just loose herself, she lost her husband, her belief on society, the death of
the maiden and her mental peace. Still, since she was alive society takes the liberty of deciding
that since she was alive she would become okay. The physical wounds healed like they always
do but she had lost herself in the long run. The society thinks about maintaining the pretense of
civility rather than helping the trampled souls.
My father had a very strong role to play in reinforcing the notion in her mind. She wept
cried and she fought her way through the two-month long ordeal only to find a cheating husband.
The situation was worse when he could not take the side of my mother as her loss according to
him was not irreparable since she had learnt to live in the pretense of happiness. She on the other
hand had suffered an irreparable damage which was accentuated by her husband’s selfishness
and the lack of empathy towards her. I on the other hand saw a woman always eager to do her
job and complete it but nothing more. She had become an automaton living in a pretentious
happiness.
Paulina has used the irreparable expression three times. The first run through, Paulina
ridicules Gerardo's impractical reasoning that lone murder is unsalvageable. The second time,
she derides his loathsomeness at seeing the detained Dr. Miranda, Gerardo's first up close and
personal experience of viciousness with irreversible results. At long last, she heaves in his face

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LETTER TO ARIEL DOEFMAN
his conviction that harping on reality, in each corrupt detail, can destroy a human relationship
hopeless. The same Gerardo who started by recommending that nothing aside from death is
unsalvageable has now conceded that in the realm of governmental issues that he has come to
acknowledge, truth may be as unsalvageable as murder. Paulina drives him to comprehend the
genuine nature of the welcome the President has expanded: Yes, the Investigating Commission
offers seek after a conclusion to the chain of brutality yet just if Paulina and those like her will
pardon.
She had suffered a huge loss but she lived on thinking nothing can be done about it and
for once when the justice to be given could be her responsibility because no matter how depraved
his actions were or how much harm he caused her. He could not be charged lawfully as she was
living and this killed her as she felt dying was an easier alternative to what she went through
when she was at the camp. Moreover, she wants to make sure since she has her chance she gives
justified sentence to him. In would also like to add that in their two-month long ordeal they took
away from my mother what we call the regular pleasure of like. She liked Schubert’s Death and
the Maiden but the constant playing of the music when she was raped and tortured made het hate
the music. It took away from her the very basic pleasures of life. She was irreparable because
the only thing that could repair her reminded her of her wound even more.
The logical approach of my father was beyond me and I think what was done to my
mother is a more heinous crime than murder as it took away her will to live. The constant
reminder of the pain she got was beyond its limits when she saw the doctor. There are things we
try to comprehend and rationalize to fit our beliefs but sometimes emotions are beyond the
limited boundaries of rationality. The rationale of the actions of my mother was nothing but the
memory of the voice of the doctor which according to my father was not enough to call someone

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LETTER TO ARIEL DOEFMAN
culprit, but my mother knew it was him and she was sure. When all the other senses were
deprived she could only hear the person and the malice in his voice. It is not very uncommon that
someone should have a similar voice to a person but it highly unlikely that they are known by the
same. To me my mother talked about the moments of feeling powerful and free once again. To
her commanding the doctor was the reclaim to the soul she had one lost in the hard times. She
had to go through a lot of pain and the doctor that was supposed treat her made the condition by
raping her playing Schubert death and the maiden.
She also wants to understand why is it always the weak and the victimized who are
supposed to be quiet and why do the people think about their self interest before helping such a
person in the society. even my father was more worried about the validity of her actions rather
than the state of mind she was committing the crime. I feel the society is equally responsible for
the pain such victims go through because beneath the overall show of caring and the helping
society are a bunch of judgmental people who do not believe in their ancient traditions to be
broken. Considering the scenario that we live in an era of modernity and want political
democracy but we are still bound but the age-old customs and beliefs which still cloud our
judgement and thinking.
` It is just not my mother but every weak person who was the victim of the strong and was
ostracized by their own society undergoes the pain. My mother’s actions justified or not shoe the
amount to pain she was hiding to live in the pretense of the life she was living. Though it was not
very logical but at that moment it was not the member of a civilized society who was thinking
but a woman who had seen pain in its worst form. Being her son, I never felt that she was under
pressure or pain until she told me the story and it was a beautiful mask that when remove
revealed a prettier face. She may have pretended her whole life but the confession had allowed

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LETTER TO ARIEL DOEFMAN
her to bury her past and live for what it was today. I just feel that I the due time the Society will
be better if the victims were not victimized. If they do not have to harbor the pain alone in their
hearts they may forget it altogether in the due time. It has to be a cumulative step so that the
victims of crime like my mother do not become the criminal themselves.
Therefore, all I can say is that the society is not safe unless it gives up the idea of the
victim being the perpetrator in the sexual abuse cases or the outcome will always be drastic. A
healthy and the collaborative society needs to develop on the basis of common humanity for all
and understand that taking away someone’s will to survive is tantamount to murder. The society
needs to know that if some one pushes a person to the brinks of sanity the victim has the right to
retaliate. Since the crime was perfect and no one saw it does not make it perfect. The society’s
overlooking makes it perfect. This needs to be done so that there are no incomplete people with
their hopes stolen pretending to be whole.