Murambi, the Book of Bones Literary Elements

Novel

The book is set in Hotel Rwanda in the year 1994 in the context of genocide.

Third-person narrative

Sad, melancholy, disheartening, pessimistic

The protagonist of the story is Cornelius.

The genocide broke out in Rwanda in 1994, and many innocent people died while scores were left homeless. The genocide is fueled by tribal animosities and ethnic cleansing among the two dominant tribes in the country.

The climax comes when Cornelius discovers that his father was behind the ethnic cleansing in Murambi, where over 60,000 people died following the ethnic cleansing.

Cornelius’ father hatred towards the other tribe foreshadowed the genocide that left many people dead.

Ethnic cleansing is understated. The hatred between the two tribes in Rwanda resulted in sharp political division but unnecessary killings.

The story alludes to the events that unfolded before and after the Rwanda genocide in the year 1994.

The smell of death is an imaginary that aids readers in visualizing the devastating nature of the killings during the genocide. The reader writes, "The acrid odor of decomposing bodies remained like a stinking little ball, diluting slowly in his blood."

The entire novel is satirical because the author depicts it as a fictional story. In reality, the novel's title is fictional, but the events unfolding in the novel are non-fictional because they took place in reality.

Ethnic cleansing in Rwanda parallels the tribal hatred between the people.

Ethnic cleansing is a metonymy referring to hatred resulting in endless killings.

The genocide discussed in the book is embodied as a real hateful individual.