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Katherine Muñoz Professor Carola Oyarzún LET1346 - Draa O!to"er #$ %&1' Chara!terization in (unset Liite) is a *lay +ritten "y ,eri!an author Cora! M!Carth y$ in %&&6 Sunset Limited is The *lot !onsists on a )ialo.ue "et+een " et+een /+hite0$ a *rofessor +ho +ante) to !oit sui!i)e in (unset Liite) a etro station2$ an) /"la!0$ a *rofusely reli.ious e-!on +ho sa5es +hites life life These t+o !hara!ters re*resent *olarities that are fun)aental for the )e5elo*ent of the a!tion$ su!h as )e.ree of intelle!tual no+le).e$ so!ial status$ ra!ial status$ reli.ious 5ie+s an) so on /7hite0$ +ho re*resents the sui!i)al *rofessor$ e"o)ies rationality an) lo.i!$ +hile /8la!0$ the e-!on5i!t$ *ossess a ore s*ontaneous *ersonality$ alon. +ith a stron. sense of oral *ro5i)e) "y reli.ion$ +hi!h re*resents a stru..le "et+een his !riinal *ast an) his ne+ re)e ee) self ,s a *ur*ose of this re*ort$ the ai +ill "e fo!use) on ho+ these )ifferen!es are fun)aental for the !hara!terization of the role$ an) the +ay in +hi!h e!onoi! an) so!ial )ifferen!es are a)e e*li!it in e5ery )iension of the !hara!ters 9n fe+ +or)s$ +e !an i)entify Sunset Limited as as a !ultural !lash "et+een t+o re*resentati5es of o**osites insi)e a so!ial stru!ture that +ill lea) to *hiloso*hi!al )e"ates re.ar)in. the 5alue of life an) )eath :n)ou"te)ly$ these atter of )e"ate is trans5ersal to e5ery !ulture$ in any tie an) s*a!e$ transforin. Sunset Limited in in a *lay that !an "e
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a)a*te) into any +ays to fit )ifferent !ontet "ut al+ays ee*in. the ain !ore of the *lot; life 9n this re.ar)$ the *lay +as a)a*te) to our Chilean so!iety "y
is )is!ourse is full of *auses$ soeties to re*resent a e)itati5e as*e!t re.ar)in. his o+n thou.hts$ "ut at the sae tie$ it sho+s !ertainty a"out his fatalisti! an) .ri *ers*e!ti5e to+ar)s life On the other han)$ the e-!on5i!t$ inter*rete) "y is !hara!ter a**ears to "e 5ery frien)ly$ *ro*er al+ays referrin. as /uste)0 +hen talin. to the *rofessor2$ .entle he shares his foo) an) house2$ in!re)i"ly reli.ious an) *atient +ith the *rofessors attitu)e$ tryin. to ae hi a!!e*t the eisten!e of =o) ,s the *lay .oes "y$ this e-!on5i!t re5eals his stru..le +ith his *ast
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)eons$ his life in *rison an) his re*resse) i*ulses of an.er$ +hi!h tries to !ontain " y *rofessin. the +or) of =o) 9t is also i*ortant to noti!e a su"Aa!ent !onfli!t "et+een the t+o !hara!ters$ also *ro5i)e) "y the o**osite en5ironents in +hi!h they li5e ?arias !hara!ter is 5ery o*en to listen to the *rofessor$ "e!ause he sees in hi a *erson +ith a lot of e)u!ation$ no+le).e an) sensiti5ity$ traits that he la!s an) at the sae tie$ a)ires This !an "e seen$ for instan!e$ +hen the *rofessor tals a"out !lassi!al usi!$ the )ifferent sha)es of a sae *ie!e of usi!$ +hi!h aazes the e-!on5i!t >o+e5er$ the no+ reli.ious an still !annot !o*rehen) +hy a *erson +ith su!h e)u!ation an) +oul) +ell u*"rin.in. +oul) +ant to !oit sui!i)e$ an) he !onfronts the *rofessor se5eral ties statin. this !on!ern ,.ain$ the t+o en)s of a sae ro*e so!iety2 are o**osin. a.ain$ "ase) on a )ee* issue in our so!iety$ +hi!h is the )e.ree in +hi!h oney an) !ulture !an affe!t an) )eterine a *ersons +ay of life The e-!on re5eals his life as a real tra.e)y$ +ith a *ast as a ur)erer$ an) a *resent full of loneliness Bonetheless$ +hile ?ar@as !hara!ter sees his life as a +ay of *ro5in.$ in +hi!h he has !hosen to sur5i5e un)er a frae of in)ness an) reli.ion$ ,lonsos !hara!ter !hoses )eath as the out!oe of his life$ e*lainin. that sui!i)e is the onl y lo.i!al resolution .i5en the fa!t that =o) )oesnt eist or Aust )oesnt !are a"out us
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"e!ause the +ay in +hi!h these t+o !reates )ialo.ues is nor 5ery liely to ha**en in real life E5en ore$ a future in +hi!h the *rofessor an) the reli.ious e-!on5i!t !an !ontinue "ein. frien)s is noneistent The *lay )oes not *ro5i)es a !ertain !ontinuity in tie$ there is no future for the !hara!ters to eet a.ain$ an) their li5es see to en) as the *lay en)s too This !an "e a result of tain. our so!ial reality as a referential *oint$ in +hi!h )isa.reeents are !onstantly *resent$ an) the only thin. that !an "e )one to a5oi) !onfli!ti5e situations is to a!!e*t )ifferent realities$ an) )ifferent 5ie+s of life The ost safe a!tion is to res*e!t others !hoi!es$ e5en if they a e no sense to us ?arias an) ,lonsos !hara!ters see the sae life fro a )ifferent *oint of 5ie+$ thats +hy their )ialo.ue is a !onstant )e"ate "et+een !hoosin. to li5e or to )ie in an in)ul.ent an) ne.le!te) so!iety$ an) +hile ?arias re*resents the *art that is !onstantly left asi)e$ the *rofessor is the one +ho !an enAoy "ein. *art of it so!iety2$ +ith a!!ess to intelle!tualis an) +is)o$ "ut that !hoses not to May"e the only thin. that is not truly relia"le$ !onsi)erin. their so!ial !ontet an) *ersonality traits$ is the fa!t that the !hara!ters see to !ontain thesel5es for a lon. tie "efore losin. their in)s it too a +hile for the e-!on5i!t to .et really an.ry an) "ein. a"out to har the *rofessor2 9t sees that our so!iety is n ot that tolerant or *atient +ith the ones that are )ifferent$ an) that our so!iety ten)s to "eha5e in ore asyetri!al relations that hel* to aintain "oun)aries "et+een *eo*le 9n Sunset Limited, there are ties in +hi!h this relation "e!oes syetri!al$ an) they "oth "e!oe intereste) for the other$ listenin. ea!h other 9t +oul) ha5e "een "etter if the !hara!ters +oul) ha5e sho+n !ertain )e.ree of intoleran!e "et+een the$ "ut ay"e$ this is the fi!tional eleent that ust rein)s us that this is Aust a *lay
