Q1) Identify some of the forms intolerance can take, and discuss how its effects on both

the victims and the intolerant are presented in at least two of the works you have
studied.

Intolerance refers to the inability to accept a behaviour that differs from one’s own. In two
texts that I have studied, Kazuo Ishiguro’s ​A Pale View of Hills ​and Ariel Dorfman’s ​Death
and the Maiden​, this concept is prevalent in the texts as main characters fall victim to such
intolerance.

Firstly, intolerance is portrayed in the form of sexism. In both texts, this refers to the
intolerance from the straying of stereotypical expectations and behaviour a female ought to
have.

In ​A Pale View of Hills​, the intolerance of females having a say in politics is evident of
intolerance for the diverging role of women from their traditional more conservative familial
duties rather than in society. This is evident when Hanada scoffs at his wife’s decision to vote
for a party opposing his own vote, claiming she ‘votes for him because he looks like her
uncle.’ His mocking tone suggests that he is ridiculed by his wife’s actions. This could be a
manifestation on the idea that votes are wasted on women due to their lack of intellect. As
such, being intolerable for women to stray from their traditional duties.

In ​Death and the Maiden​, Paulina holds a gun to threaten Gerardo and Roberto when she first
ties Roberto up. This was an evident portrayal of a shift in power towards the female,
Paulina, from her previous captor, Roberto. As such, Gerardo patronizes Paulina and
marginalizes her due to her wider range of expression. This shows how Gerardo cannot
accept Paulina to be the one in the position of power saying ‘you’re sick’ or ‘what kind of
madness is -’. This shows his inability to grasp the shift in power status towards Paulina and
his intolerance toward the situation. Moreover, he is condescending as he asks her ‘could we
start acting reasonable’, suggesting that Paulina, a female, holding the upper hand is not
something Gerardo can accept as a shift from the norm where men are the ones in power.

Secondly, intolerance is portrayed in the form of the difference and shifts in culture and
regimes. In ​A Pale View of Hills​, this is evident through the cultural difference between East
and West. In ​Death and the Maiden,​ this is evident through the shift from a dictatorship of a
country to a democracy.

In ​A Pale View of Hills​, the intolerance a lot more subtle as compared to in ​Death and the
Maiden​ due to the context of Japanese culture and their use of polite language. However,
Etsuko’s disapproval in Western cultures is still evident in the text. For example, Etsuko’s
judgement in Niki’s friend’s unmarried pregnancy is a manifestation of her intolerance
toward western cultures which Niki is an embodiment of. This is because it conflicts with the
traditional Japanese value system of family code and leads to its collapse, thus explaining
why Etsuko is intolerant of the idea.
Q1) Identify some of the forms intolerance can take, and discuss how its effects on both
the victims and the intolerant are presented in at least two of the works you have
studied.

In ​Death and the Maiden​, Paulina belittles the idea of the constitution as a reform and
recovery from the trauma of the dictatorship. She is intolerant of the efforts made to help the
country recover from the dictatorship as she is trapped in her past trauma of being raped. As
such, she rejects and scoffs at the idea of progressing and moving forward, being incapable of
accepting the possibility of recovery and a new regime.

In conclusion, the concept of intolerance in these two texts is especially prevalent due to the
circumstances and experiences of the main characters being both sensitive and personal,
hence, causing it to be difficult to accept change and thus explaining their intolerance toward
a differing opinion from their own.