Broken April

Destroyed Relationships by the Kanun Broken April was written by Ismail Kadare, the novel takes place in the mountainous regions of Albania during the 1920’s. The Kanun is an ancient set of rules that controls the daily lives of the people in the mountains. Such as Gjorg a 26 year old mountaineer, who is pressured by his family to seek vengeance for the death of his older brother. A newspaper writer Bessian and his wife Diana Vorpsi are from the city who are very intimate newlyweds having their honeymoon in the mountains. Kadare uses the lack or there of physical proximity to imply the strong detaching power of human relationships made by the Kanun. As illustrated by Bessian’s obsession of the Kanun causing a rejection of Diana, which is later mirrored when she develops her own obsession with it making that Bessian develops a fear of the Kanun. When Diana and Bessian were first introduced, Kadare displays a more intimate connection between them but, Bessian’s thought of the blood code is making their relationship lurking into separation. While Bessian and Diana were riding in the carriage, Bessian, “holding his wife’s hand” and at the same time “moved his head” (61) towards the window of the carriage while watching the mountains. His “holding” signifies Bessian’s dominating control of their relationship shown by the inequality of their grip. Bessian is illustrated as a dominating character because society and the blood code make it that women are inferior, by implying that Diana’s voice is worthless to Bessian. The method is also exemplified by “his wife”, which alludes to her unknown identity therefore making her seem like and unimportant character. The physical proximity still exists as a warm and tender relationship between Diana and Bessian but, Bessian’s unconscious interest in the Kanun is destroying on his focus of Diana, during their honeymoon. Diana and Bessian were approaching the tower to stay the night, and they get into an argument and