DEATH IN THE GENERAL OF THE DEAD ARMY
DEATH IN THE GENERAL OF THE DEAD ARMY

Summary/Abstract: Death has been treated by Kadare in most of his works, such as The General of the Dead Army, The Castle/The Siege, Doruntine, Broken April, The Three-Arched Bridge, The Palace of Dreams, The Pyramid, and so on. Some die a glorious death, like the death of Doruntine’s brothers who fought to defend their homeland, whereas some die a disgraceful death, like the Ottoman Pasha’s death as a defeated invader. Some die a death imposed by social norms, like the death of Gjorg, who had to kill in order to avenge his brother and maintain his family’s honor. Some die as a sacrifice to usher in a new world order, like the immurement of Murrash Zenebisha so that the construction of the bridge could stand. There are also others who die a sublime death, like Gjoleka in The General of the Dead Army, who did not die in the battles against Fascist invasion, but as a result of infection he got when he was performing humanitarian work during the Post-war peace time. Death, as Kadare shows to us, can be of various natures, but behind the veil of death lies the truth about social norms, the fight for political and economic interests, the struggle between justice and injustice, the relationship between nations, etc.

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