How Does Kadare Present The Blood Feuds As A Ritual?

Literature in Translation
Broken April: Does Kadare portray the blood feuds as an act of revenge, or as a ritual?

In Kadare’s novel ‘Broken April’, protagonist Gjorg Berisha’s family is ensnared into the trap of the blood feuds and the Kanun quite by chance. Rather than starting a feud by murdering someone in a fit of passionate rage or due to a long-held grudge, as most feuds begin, the Berisha family accidentally become involved after giving shelter to a stranger who was then shot dead after leaving their home. Generally, you would expect the act of shooting another human to be an act of revenge, however in this novel, sometimes the blood feuds seemingly alter the motives behind murder and portray it from a completely different perspective.
This tradition from the Kanun shows how the Berisha family was sucked into the blood feud from the start and one that would transpire over generations. It shows how, initially due to the traditions of the Kanun, the family had no wish to take part in the blood feuds and wished no revenge on those they were forced to kill. For them, it was simply a ritual. To back down from this tradition brings dishonour upon the family. Therefore, although Gjorg would like nothing to do with the feud, he is pressured into it by his parents who are still grieving for his murdered brother. After carrying out the murder, the Kanun says he must attend the dead man’s funeral, which he calls an “absurd situation” (p16). This demonstrates Gjorg’s feelings towards the blood feuds traditions clearly, he has no relation to the man and therefore sees the whole situations as very bizarre. So for him to have had to shoot the man in the first place must have been very difficult, as he definitely won’t have been feeling vengeful towards a stranger. Gjorg goes on to explain how he feels “shackled” by the “chains” of the Kanun, implying that it is very much a painstaking ritual that must be carried out, even if the individual involved has no previous relations, and therefore no grudge, with the
The steward’s job is to collect the taxes from the blood feud and keep records on revenue in something known as the ‘Blood Book’ (p136). Due to there being profit to be made, the steward must feel under pressure to maximise the profit. This can be seen when the steward thinks about a look he receives from the Prince at dinner – “That look you seemed to say, you are the steward of the blood, and therefore you ought to be the chief instigator of feuds and acts of vengeance, you ought to be encouraging them” (p136). This stern comment from the Prince firmly supports the idea that the blood feuds are a ritual, a process that must be carried out, even with some money-making exploits happening as well. The Prince doesn’t see the feuds as a personal battle between two families who wish to exact revenge upon each other, he sees them almost like a business in a way. He views the feuds with a sense of potential, rather than horror at the experiences that these families have to go through. The whole concept of the Kanun and the blood feuds seems to provoke the exact opposite reactions that you would except in the Prince and the steward, possibly due to a lack of morality. However, if looked at from another perspective, the above quote could also be viewed as the Prince describing the feuds as “acts of vengeance”, which is actually what he says but