Deogratias Quotes

In the graphic novel, Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda, by Stassen, we are introduced to the story of a young boy name Deogratias and we follow him through his journey during the time of the Rwanda genocide. Deogratias was just a young normal boy, who was mischievous and curious just like any other boys his age. However, we begin to see how the Rwanda genocide affected Deogratias negatively and through the unbearable guilt it led to his mental deterioration. Through the vivid illustrations and storytelling of Stassen, we get to see glimpses of Deogratias’ past and how each event played a role in the lost of Deogratias’ humanity. For a young boy to be in such an environment is deeply traumatizing, but at the same time he also committed many unspeakable

crimes. It makes us question and ruminate about our own morality and what we would do if we were trapped in such a hopeless situation like Deogratias. Although Deogratias was portrayed as an undignified character, Stassen was still able to provide an accurate depiction of our human nature—such that it invokes sympathy from the readers.
In the beginning of the story, Stassen portrayed Deogratias in a way that did not appeal to us; Deogratias was rash, immoral, and at times, inappropriate. The way that Stassen portrays him is quite different from other main characters, which are usually characterized as morally just and self-sacrificing. In another novel, Strength in What Remains, by Tracy Kidder, the main character, Deo, was in a situation that is similar to that of Deogratias. Deo experienced the genocide first hand just like Deogratias; however, the way that Deo reacted to it was different. Deo was morally just and he firmly stood against violence. He is an ideal example of a dignified character and his story instills hope in the readers. In contrast, Deogratias is nothing like Deo at all. Deogratias is immoral and there are many scenes in the story that makes him very unfavorable. In a panel, it is shown that Deogratias was stealing money from the church and it is implied that he wanted to use the money to solicit sex from Venetia (3-4). Not only that, Deogratias was quick to fall victim to the violence. Although Deogratias did try to protect Benina, he was not all that innocent because it was implied that he might have partake in the violence himself. Compared to Deo’s story, Deogratias’ story does not give us the same feelings of hope but more of the feelings of hopelessness. The way that Stassen chose to characterize Deogratias and his actions made him very unlikable and most of the time it was hard to feel compassionate towards him. However, by depicting Deogratias in such a way, it makes him seem more human and believable that it makes the story more authentic.
At first Deogratias may have seemed like an unlikable character, but as the story progresses we are able to get a deeper understanding of the tragic events that underwent and we begin to develop a deeper sympathy for him.

On the very first page, we are introduced to a damaged and tattered looking Deogratias (1). From the expression on his face to the way he stood, it seemed that there is something very wrong with him and that he suffered through a terrible experience. It is not known right away what happened to him so we could only guess as to what it is. Through his flashbacks, we see that Deogratias was not always like this and that before he was quite a healthy looking boy. In one panel in the flashback, Deogratias looks normal and his clothes are not tattered at all (4). He looks lively and sane compared to the first image that we see of Deogratias. The contrast between the two Deogratias is so great that it leaves us wondering what really happened to make him that way. As the story unfolds, we begin to piece together the series of event of what happened that cause Deogratias to become so deranged and broken. Stassen chose to write the story in way that the story just kind of falls together. We do not have a full understand as to what really happened till we reach the end. When we do reach the end, it leaves us speechless and with many conflicting emotions. Stassen was able to capture the brutality of the genocide perfectly and for such a young boy to experience such thing it is not surprising that he became so traumatized. Even though before we did not have a favorable opinion of Deogratias, it begins to change as the story unfolds and it us feel that he deserves our

sympathy.
Stassen was able to artistically depict Deogratias as a very complex character and that no matter what crime he committed we are unable to truly dislike him. As Deogratias slowly ascends into madness, he never really completely loses himself. Though in the bout of his madness, Deogratias purposely poisoned those people close to him but in a way it was to avenge his lost. Whenever Deogratias turns into a dog, it represents his lost of his humanity and that more of his animal instincts are taking over. Even though he does occasionally turns into a dog, he is never completely transformed—he still retained some of his human characteristics. In a panel, Deogratias is in his half human and half dog form (57). He developed a muzzle and his face becomes more elongated. Also his hands begin to resemble paws and his ears are elongated to resemble dog ears. He may have begun to transform into a dog, but he still maintained human characteristics. It means that Deogratias still have some humanity left in him, and because of what is left of his humanity it makes us pity him and more sympathetic towards him. On the other hand, if he had completely given in to his madness we would not have been as sympathetic. It is truly his guilt of what happened to Benina and her family that caused him to break down. The weight of the guilt was too much for Deogratias’ mind to bear that it led to his own madness. When we think of it like that in a way it bears justification for what Deogratias had done. Regardless of what crimes Deogratias committed, we feel that he is a character worthy of our sympathy.
Stassen was able to create a tragic but beautifully put together story of one of the possible effects of genocide. He provided an authentic look into what could have happened in the times of the Rwanda genocide. According to Seigel, he believed that through the story we become “a better person… because it is only through deep, heartfelt understanding that we have a chance to overcome…the false divisions that have brought such horrors into the world.” At the end of the story, I had many conflicting emotions about it but I feel that I would have to disagree with Seigel. Though I did feel sympathetic towards Deogratias, I did not think that it made me a better person. As a matter of fact, I believe his tragic tale lessened my faith in humanity.