Analysis of Broken April by Kadare

Kadare’s Use of Setting and Landscape to Convey Gjorg’s Internal Transformation Towards the Blood Feud in Broken April

May 2017

Word Count: 1493

Reflective Statement

I enjoyed the very first Interactive Oral on Broken April, which went further into the use of setting on the natural landscape of Albania. The detailed description of the geographical context in Northern Albania reflects the internal struggles of the characters in the novel. Throughout the presentation, my understanding of the use of the natural landscape to distinguish the relationships between characters and their emotions was deepened.

The utilization of setting as a literary device to display the evolving emotions of characters is clearly connected in the presentation. It is worth seeing that not only Gjorg but also the newlywed couple Diana and Bessan’s dramatic change in characteristics are clearly reflected through the description of the setting. Additionally, the frequent description of foggy climate and indistinct landmarks sets the tone of the story while the internal struggles within the characters are reflected. Moreover, my knowledge on the geographical location of Northern Albania developed significantly with the understanding of the dynamic characters in the novel.

The description of setting of the high Plateau was easily understood; however, the ending of the literary work, where Diana and Gjorg do not have a direct contact with each other before Gjorg dies, explained through the setting is highly ironic. Kadare’s effective uses of setting significantly demonstrated the relationships between the characters. In addition, my knowledge of Kadare’s uses of various figurative languages that portray the setting and the High Plateau is also strengthened. The use of setting to describe the emotions of characters can be clearly seen in my life and my society. For example, a rainy day often reflects a sad and depressing mood and we often experience a negative emotion as a result. Overall, my knowledge of the landscapes of the Northern Albania including Kadare’s use of setting to illustrate the relationship between the characters had clearly developed through the Interactive Oral.

Word Count: 310

Blood feuds have existed in many parts of the world throughout history. In Northern Albania, it is a centuries-old custom that follows the procedures of the Kanun, an intricate traditional code of laws, which mountaineers who live on the highlands of Albania have to follow. In the novel Broken April, by Ismail Kadare, the protagonist, Gjorg repeatedly undergoes internal struggles pertaining to the blood feuds and his developing attitudes are effectively distinguished through the description of setting and landscape. This is significant because Gjorg is a character who is directly involved in the overt oppression of a traditional code, the Kanun, and is consistently described as a powerless figure who experiences multiple internal transformations throughout the novel. Through three significant scenes: the opening murder of Zef Kryeqyqe, Gjorg’s journey to the Orosh of Kulla, and the last day of his bessa, Kadare frequently uses the description of the surrounding landscapes to reflect Gjorg’s internal conflict and evolving emotional state towards the blood feud.

Kadare uses the intense description of the landscape in the opening scene of the novel to reveal Gjorg’s internal struggles against the blood feud. First of all, as he lies amidst shrubbery and surrounded by packs of snow while waiting to take revenge against Zef Kryeqyqe, Kadare creates a setting that portrays Gjorg’s attitude and emotional state. The use of diction such as desolation and cold create a negative connotation upon the setting and deliver to the reader a sympathetic background of the action and the feelings of Gjorg that truly emphasizes his internal devastation and loneliness. Also, with a fading daylight, Kadare creates the gloomy tone, which signifies one of the internal struggles of Gjorg: being unwilling to take murderous revenge in the name of honour. Moreover, Gjorg’s inner conflict significantly perpetuates through the continuous stark image of “wild pomegranates scattered through the brush-covered space on both sides of road” (Kadare 7). The motif of pomegranates is repeated in the opening scene, and it is used as a reflection of Gjorg’s apprehensive state. Although Gjorg has not yet killed Zef, the feeling of sadness hangs over him. Fittingly, the colour of red generally represents immorality, blood, and anger whereas white is a symbol of purity, innocence, and tranquility. Kadare uses the significant contrast between the colours red and white through the description of pomegranate and snow in an attempt to create an intriguing juxtaposition that represents the evolving emotional state of Gjorg from being innocent to sinful, which is brought on by the blood feud. In addition, Kadare establishes the image of Gjorg lying in the niveous snow to murder his target directly depicting the contradiction between innocence and reprehensible conduct, which again, reflects his intricate inner struggle of obedience to the Kanun by accomplishing intolerable actions. Hence, he remarks that he has “only a vague animosity for the wild pomegranates and the patches of snow, and sometimes he [tells] himself that were it not for them, he would have given up his vigil long ago” (Kadare 8). Kadare uses the visual symbols of the juxtaposed patches of snow and sanguineness of the pomegranates as an indicator for Gjorg’s transformation from innocence to transgression. The murder is irreversible; April is now metaphorically ‘broken’ for him. After the murder of Zef Kryeqyqe, Gjorg is given the extension of bessa (truce) for thirty days before he will become the target to the Kryeqyqe family. Through the description of the landscape and the use of the distinct contrast of snow and pomegranates, Kadare successfully uses the setting to convey Gjorg’s emotional status.

Another instance of Kadare’s use of setting to distinguish Gjorg’s personal struggle is through the portrayal of landscape in his journey to the Kulla of Orosh. He gradually transforms internally from reluctant to apathetic. As he leaves the village, the imagery of “a church bell [glinting] weakly in the distance” (Kadare 52) exemplifies his vision of emptiness and desolation, as he is confused about his destiny and future path. Additionally, as he walks on the deserted road, “for miles [while] the landscape was empty” (Kadare 52). Gjorg’s emotional numbness towards the blood feud, the cultures, and the rituals of the Albanian mountaineers is interpreted by the syntax and diction of how Kadare presents the setting that surrounds him. The dull and callous tone is revealed to the reader as Gjorg repeatedly mistakes the castle of the Orosh of Kulla, “the dark mass proved to be a convent… it [is] not a building at all, but a mere rag of fog darker than the others” (Kadare 53). The fog is a symbol of Gjorg’s inner self, it represents the apprehension and loneliness that Gjorg feels throughout the novel, as he contemplates his abruptly ‘broken’ April. Kadare creates a setting that masterfully reflects Gjorg’s emotional apathy after carrying out his dedication to the Kanun. As he walks along on the highroad, he notices that, “the emptiness of the road on either side [seems] emptier still because of the shrubby growth that [has] sprung up there as if with an evil intention” (Kadare 53). The personification of the shrubbery combined with the repetition of the emptiness emphasizes his emotionless feeling as he walks alone on the way to pay the blood tax after killing Zef. Lastly, as Gjorg approaches the castle, “in the fog its silhouette [seem] neither high nor low, and sometimes he [thinks] it must be quite spread out nor sometimes he [thinks] it a compact mass” (Kadare 54). Through the employ of third person omniscient point of view, Gjorg’s internal hesitation as an active participant in the ancient traditions on the High Plateau is obviously exhibited to the readers. The realization of the fact that his action extends the bloodshed of both families involved evokes the frustration, which is reflected through his unclear view of the Orosh of Kulla. Therefore, through the detailed description of the foggy climate and the surrounding landscape on the way to the Kulla of Orosh, Kadare propitiously conveys Gjorg’s isolation and intricate emotions to the readers.

In another scene, near the end of Gjorg’s thirty days bessa, the description of the natural landscape used by Kadare reflects the protagonist’s internal acceptance of his fate and the blood feud. In comparison to his emotional state during his journey to the Orosh of Kulla, he changes from feeling numbness to steps closer to acceptance. As Gjorg approaches the end of his bessa, the less emotionally infused portrayal of his view towards the setting reveals his current peaceful state. As Gjorg is walking on the highroad to Brezftoht on the seventeenth of April, “he [raises] his head in order to find the sun; the clouds, high in the sky, covered it over, but one could tell its position” (Kadare 203). The use of asyndeton highlights Gjorg as a dynamic character who internally changes from feeling agitated by the fate brought on by the blood feud to calmly accepting his destiny. Furthermore, the depiction of the sun reflects Gjorg’s resignation to his fate; his internal conflict is no longer a torment, instead, he is contemplative fronting the finale of the bessa. The shadow cast by the sun implies the fact that his bessa will soon be over. Additionally, the road is described as being “strewn with reddish glints” (Kadare 203) and later “drowning in the light” (Kadare 204) which repeatedly implies Gjorg’s evolving attitudes towards the blood feud and the Kanun. Moreover, as the waterfall “[flows] evenly along a dark-green rock…[keep] on flowing, but now the current [is] jumbled and without majesty” (Kadare 206), Kadare allows the readers to interpret the tranquil, yet edgy tone. The personification of the waterfall on the surface seems to refer to the cycle of the blood feud that perpetuates from generation to generation. However, it has a double meaning. It also metaphorically reflects Gjorg’s emotional state of accepting his fate imposed by the blood feud but as his bessa would soon be over, the jumbled current reveals his anxiety. The metaphor of “the crushed roses beyond the clouds [has] grown a little darker” (Kadare 207) cast a scene of Gjorg’s desperation as the approaching lift of his bessa is even closer. He may try to rationalize his current state, but the desolation is still burning inside of him will not dissipate. Overall, the descriptive setting, as well as Kadare’s comments on the landscapes purposely elucidates the transitioning mood of Gjorg.

In conclusion, Kadare successfully distinguishes Gjorg’s internal struggles and emotional attitudes towards the blood feud through the detailed description of the setting and landscape of Albania. Figurative language is used to describe the setting and the High Plateau as a reflection of Gjorg’s inner transformation. The nature of Gjorg’s complicated, yet mostly anxious and inane emotion is driven by his failure to escape the continuous cycle of the blood feud and more significantly, the struggle between his dutiful abidance of the Kanun and his individual remorse for the bloodshed of both affected families.

Works Cited:

Kadare, Ismail. Broken April. Translated by Ivan R. Dee, New York: New Amsterdam, 1990. Print.