Describe how a text exposes the discrimination or oppression that people in a given culture or society face because of their race, class, gender or sexual orientation (sometimes characters are examples of more than one form of discrimination and if so, you should acknowledge that even if you are only focusing on one).
Sartre wrote the story in 1939 when the civil war in Spain was raw (Sartre, 2005). Most of the prisoners had come from other countries to help Spain is the war against the Franco's fascists and to help Spain regain her glorious status. Ibeata , the narrator, belonged to the international brigade group of volunteers in Spain and he was captured alongside Tom and Tom's little brother Juan by Franco's army. Discrimination occurs in the fight as the people on Franco's side, who are mainly Spaniards, are not captured, or taken to prison. Discrimination is evident because the minority group, which mainly consists of the anarchists, is shoved into small prison cells, which are too hot, making the prisoners dizzy. They are also often taken to other very cold rooms where they shiver and go numb as a way of punishment. Pablo records that he knew most of the prisoners as he had seen their faces before while others were foreigners whom he did not recognize.
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The minority felt the discrimination for the poor treatment is clear when the author states that they had shivered for the past twenty-four hours before they were arraigned for the questioning. Moreover, although the prisoners were asked questions, the soldiers did not listen to the answers. Instead, they depended on someone's name to decide the person's fate, which implies ethnical or racial prejudice among the prisoners. Case in point, when they discovered that Tom was in the international brigade, they assumed everyone else whose name was associated with Tom's tribe was also part of the brigade. For example, although everyone could see that Juan was just a little boy who could not be a political activist, he was sentenced to death and executed. Albeit they did not ask Juan any question, they used his name to judge him although he tried to say his brother, the late Jose, was the anarchist and the fascists already killed him . Juan tried to defend himself saying that he was not political but no one could listen to his pleas. Juan told the soldiers that he did not want to pay for anyone else.
Moreover, after their sentence, which was determined by the short cross-examination, Pablo, Juan, and Tom were locked in a room, which the narrator describes as having been terrifically cold. He states that they shivered the whole night and it was not any better during the day. In fact, they narrated the scenes where the soldiers laid the prisoners on the road and ran them over with lorries as a way of saving ammunition. The three also feared the same fate would befall them, especially if the soldiers were short of ammunition. Moreover, the discrimination was evident because the prisoners' clothes were taken and given to the soldiers while the prisoners were left with t-shirts and canvas pants in the cold. What is more, at the time of sentencing, after they announced Tom and Juan were to be shot the following day, they asked Pablo if he was Basque, implying that his ethnicity would determine his fate in the hands of the police. Moreover, when they said no one was Basque, the soldier looked offended, as he wanted to save the Basques and not any other tribe. Consequently, when Pablo said he was not Basque, he was added to the two who would be killed the following morning. They were also tortured a whole night mentally , as they awaited their death with the mockery of a doctor who was employed to make their last hours on earth better.
Does the character or characters resist this discrimination? Why or why not?
The characters resist the discrimination, especially in the case of Juan the kid, who upon being sentenced tells the corps that he does not want to pay for the sins of another person. He tells them that his elder brother is the one who was involved in anarchy and states that he had never been political all his life. However, they showed a low degree of resistance to the discrimination as they were now used to the behavior. Furthermore, they were in a foreign land and so they were at the mercies of the ruling government. Consequently, some like Pablo refused to give up the whereabouts of Ramon Gris despite the fact that he knew where he was. If Pablo was against the discrimination, he could have given up the whereabouts of Ramon who was Spanish, to salvage his own, but he constantly told the soldiers that he did not know where he was. Additionally, he also lied to them intentionally despite the fact that he knew that the act would lead to his death. Pablo was at a point where he knew that Gris was more important to the well-being of Spain than Pablo was and so he was willing to die to save Gris. In several situations though, Pablo had tried to fight but remembered that he had few hours before his death. Consequently, he decided not to fight anymore and instead keep his peace so that he can die clean. In the several instances he tried, the resistance went as far as his mind and was not executed as he felt there was no need. This was also the case where Tom was concerned as they were now at the end of the road and there was no way back.
If resisting, are they successful? Why or why not?
Albeit Juan resisted the discrimination by trying to explain his disinterest in politics, the soldiers paid no attention, and they executed him by shooting him the following day. Moreover, despite the fact that the prisoners said Juan was just a kid who needed to be set free, the soldiers paid no attention. Juan was either paying for his ethnic or racial stand or even for the association with his brothers who were anarchists. Albeit he resisted suffering for their sake, he ended up dying for it.
What type of portrait of the overall society emerges from this text?
The society is very dictatorial, whereby one fascist leader, Franco, led Spain to such a bad political spot that they needed to get aid from other nations. Moreover, even when the volunteers came in to help bring calm in the republic, they were executed in cold blood and treated with so much discrimination whereby they were executed before judgment. Moreover, it is clear that the people of the Republic are pushed to the corner, as they have to adhere to the rules of the dictatorial president.
Finally, can the text be interpreted as a political statement?
Yes, the text is a political statement, which the author wants to influence the decision made by the people who read it. Politically, he shows the abuse and massacre faced by innocent victims including kids face just because the president authorized their deaths. Consequently, the piece was meant to make the human right society intervene and end the grievous political state in Spain.
References
Sartre, J.-P. (2005). The wall . London: Hesperus.
