Escuadra hacia la muerte - Alfonso Sastre
I liked this work, however gloomy it was. It seems to me that the central theme is to be responsible for our actions. When Pedro informs everyone that he is going to confess for the mob killing of Cabo Goban, Adolfo initially reacts quite offensively, in fear of the consequences of his actions. Although Goban may have been deserving of such a death, was it right to kill him? Alfonso seems convinced that not only was it right, but so right that they need not be punished for it. Pedro, however, senses the wrong that was committed and understands that punishment must be met in order to ease his conscious.
I don't know if Sastre had a particular political agenda in writing this work, but I do see how it could be applied to dictatorships. Even if the dictator is unjust, killing him/her is not the solution. If we do so, we must stand responsible for our actions.
Another important theme, at least in my opinion, was that of death (the title is
escuadra hacia la muerte, after all) and death sentences. Take this quote, for instance, "
Javier: Esa es la verdad. Somos una escuadra de condenados a muerte.
Andrés: No, es algo peor..., de condenados a esperar la muerte. A los condenados a muerte los matan. Nosotros...estamos viviendo...." I think that it was Ortega y Gasset (?) who described the thoughts of a
condenado moments before his execution, as if every second were a year (or something similar). Maybe the true liberation is death. As if this life were just one big death sentence. Living is simply waiting to die. Being condemned to death/execution is a quick way to escape the ever-present anticipation.
Labels: Theater
