Analysis on the cycle of violence of Hector Tobar's novel The Tattooed Soldier - Essay Example

? of Analysis on the cycle of violence of Hector Tobar's novel The Tattooed Soldier The cycle of violence is a pattern that has been used by a number of novelists in their plot writing to show the societal interchange and integration. The aim of this paper is to analyze the cycle of violence which has been noted in the novel The Tattooed Soldier written by Hector Tobar. The author has made use of the characters in a very peculiar manner to represent the cycle of violence within the context of Los Angeles setting the plot. Furthermore, the analysis of the cycle of violence has been well determined through careful assessment of the character’s experience in the story. In order to pinpoint the sketching of cycle of violence in the novel The Tattooed Soldier, it is much important to find out the basic information regarding the cycle of violence at the first place. In a literal context, the cycle of violence is a pattern to find out the way in which emotional or physical violence is observed among individuals. It should also be noted that the ultimately the cyclic pattern is more likely to end up as a revenge. There is no actual numbers of cycles that would be noted among individuals. It is mainly because it works in a systematic manner including incident noting, tension building, making up or reconciliation and calming down the victim. This cycle has been used in a couple of novels in pervasive manner. Tobar has also made use of the cycle of violence in his novel but in a very sensitive manner. Physical violence has been noted to as lesser in the fiction whereas in real life incidents, the cycle seems to continue and is much applicable (Tobar). The novel The Tattooed Soldier takes us to the journey of two individuals who are merely the immigrants in United States. The fact remains that both the characters of the novel namely Antonio and Longoria have shown their respective experiences in United States by emigrating from Guatemala. The author has basically shown that the cycle of violence provides two different roles to those who are involved with it. These roles are mainly for the victim and abuser. In the story, The Tattooed Soldier, it is much easier to note that the experiences of both the characters are merely different from each other. One has been the victim of the cycle of violence while the second have been the abuser in the cycle (Tobar). The character of Antonio seems to be the victim of the cycle of violence. His wife and son were killed in the war by a soldier named Longoria. As he was a new immigrant in United States, it was not easier for him to sustain a better and comfortable lifestyle in Los Angeles. It is because of this reason that Antonio had to leave his home as he could not pay the rent. The author has noted that the cycle of violence in the context of United States is critical for the immigrants. But even then the experiences of all immigrants can be different from each other. Following quote explains this very well, “Someone once told Antonio it was the pollution in the air that made the evening sky this way. Like everything else in Los Angeles, even the beautiful sunsets were man-made” (Tobar 42). First of all, being a homeless person, Antonio ultimately had to be a victim of series of incidents where he had to be looked down upon. Emotionally, Antonio was broken that he is among the lower class who can not even afford the houses. He found out later that he had to live as a refugee which surely made him understand that he is the minority. The intensity is evident from the quotes “they were stacked...like disease cords of wood” (Tobar 69). The abusers as those who were working class did not give much concern to the homeless and considered them to be onus on the society. As a result, it was noted that Antonio becomes violent and spreads a message among people like him who could not get any job and had no place to live. Antonio shows the readers that the cycle of violence made him emotionally weak that he had no thought process towards development. Getting a refuge surely provided him with reconciliation and made him calmer but even in that refuge, he could not bring pieces together (Tobar). On the other hand, the character of Longoria undergoes a more different overview of the living style in United States. He was able to get a better job which provided him with a home and a very cozy lifestyle. He created himself with many assets that he had the standard on which he was able to criticize the homeless people. The author has provided a sketch of Longoria where he is being cynical about the environment and considers himself to be cleaner and developed than other immigrants. In the case of cycle of violence, Longoria has basically marked his place as an abuser who gives an impression to people like Antonio that they are not worthy at all. His position in the working class has merely made him be proud of himself. His reconciliation in the cycle of violence is his charity and donation towards the refuge (Tobar). Thus, from the above analysis, it comes to visibility that the author has pinpointed both the characters in the cycle of violence in a very clear manner. The message of having hopes as an immigrant in a country like United States is clear with the usage of cycle of violence. This is why the American society keeps a distinction between the natives and the immigrants. This has been noted by the author as "Los Angeles made you less than you were back home” (Tobar 78).The cycle of violence continues to work in the American society that ends up in a situation where immigrants end up committing crime. However, some of the immigrants make their position because of their experience. The two distinctive characters have hereby helped the readers to understand how one continues to sink in the cycle of violence. The hope that is left for the victims in this cycle is to reach to the point where they undergo reconciliation and have calmer life for a certain time period. The implication of cycle of violence in the context of emotional abuse in the novel helps the readers to understand the image of the American society through different dimensions. Works Cited Tobar, H. The Tattooed Soldier. New York: Penguin Books, 2000. Published. Read More