How Is Interpersonal Conflict Portrayed Within Characters in “Sarajevo Marlboro” and “Accidental Death of an Anarchist”?

“The Accidental Death of an Anarchist” was a play written by Italian writer Dario Fo in 1980. The play is essentially about the corrupt police force in Italy at this time period concerning the case of an anarchist who ‘falls’ to his death from a police stations window. The main character in this play is the Maniac, who is also the main source of the comedy throughout the play through his use of language and also through the many disguises that he takes on. “Sarajevo Marlboro” is a collection of short stories written by Miljenko Jergovic in 1994. The book takes place in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War.

One strong similarity between the 2 books is the way in which the authors portray the internal conflicts of the main characters, and how these internal conflicts create chaos within the novel. In the Accidental Death of an Anarchist, the Maniac displays his internal conflicts through the use of disguise. All throughout the play, the Maniac disguises himself to the officer and the judge, not only to form the farcical tone of the play, but also to disguise himself from who he really is, thus proving that he faces many conflicts as a character. The main character in Accidental Death is the Maniac. The play begins with him being brought into Bertozzo’s office to be questioned about the death of the anarchist.

“Bertozzo: This isn’t the first time that you’ve been up for impersonation is it? In all you have been arrested… let me se… twice as a surgeon, three times as a bishop, army captain, tennis umpire…
Maniac: Eleven arrests altogether, but id like to point out that I have never actually been convicted, Inspector.
Bertozzo: I don’t know how the hell you have been getting away with it, but this time we’ll have you. That’s a promise.” …
“Maniac: Committed sixteen times, same thing every time- ‘Historic mania’ from the Latin, histriones, ‘to act the part of’ –my hobby, you see, is the theater…”

This extract from the very beginning of the play supports the idea that the Maniac is indeed a maniac. He explains how he disguises himself and commits crimes, but tried to say that it is because of a condition he has. The Maniac not only portrays his internal conflicts through his comedy but also through the different disguises that he takes on throughout the play. For example, at the beginning of act 1, scene 2, the Maniac has disguises himself from Costable, Pissani, and the Superintendant as a judge by wearing a false moustache, glasses, a crazy wig, a peg leg, a false hand, an eye patch, and carries a crutch. The Maniac hides and disguises himself then commits crmes by attributing it to a condition he may or may not have, it is clear to the reader that these occurrences cannot be entirely due to his ‘condition’ because his actions are so often repeated.

In Sarajevo Marlboro, the entire book is written in a sort of eerie, glum tone that really makes the reader feel sympathy for the characters in the short stories and also helps the reader understand what is taking place personally with each character.. The short story Beetle is written from the perspective of a young man, presumably in his early 20’s. He begins the story by talking about his car, a Volkswagen Beetle. He is describing his relationship with his car, with which he refers to almost as a human being by calling it a ‘she’, and then continues to describe how the car was destroyed in the war. His use of language within the story foreshadows that he faces a dilemma; although Sarajevo has been his home for his entire life, he is realizing that because the city is being destroyed, that there is nothing left for him there. “I began to realize that in fact nothing had seen saved; it was just that the final moment of separation has been postponed.” The feeling of realizing that his home is no longer of worth to him is crushing to him. Not only does the character feels a severe struggle when trying to decide what to do with himself, but it is also evident that he feels lost inside; as if part of him has been destroyed along with his home. “Nothing was left for me in Sarajevo apart from the murdered and maimed citizens, the demolished buildings, my forgotten childhood and perhaps a sackful of human flesh that lives off its nostalgia for other forgettable things until it comes face to face with what really matters…” This is the main internal conflict faced by the character within this story.

Although these two characters in these two books do not experience the same kinds of internal conflict, there is still a sense of the idea that they’re inner-selves are being somewhat hidden. In Accidental Death, the Maniac uses disguises to hide who he truly is in order to get away with crimes, however in Beetle in Sarajevo Marlboro, the main character explains his conflict through very specific language and tone in order to set the mood for the reader and make them feel as though they are in his position. The character in Beetle also shows internal conflict by being dependent on his car or Sarajevo.