1. The stolen beef seems to be an allusion to when the immigrants came to North America and took away the land and culture of the previous inhabitants. The way it is described is very gruesome, with images of blood and cut up pieces. The Jell-O is the modern lifestyle with a new culture that deviates from the long-standing traditions that were held. Because the grandmother had to be taught how to make Jell-O by a younger generation, shows the newness of the concept.

2. I feel like the father was inadvertently participating in the politics of the court. Because he went along with what everyone else was doing and reacted in the way that was expected when hearing of his daughter’s torture, he is  showing his acceptance of the system that he is surrounded by. He has become ineffectual, as Leila’s mother said men who participate in politics are.

3. The title  “Death Constant Beyond Love” tells the reader that the main themes are that of death and love and the imminence of one no matter what one finds during life. An important theme was the uncertainty of finding and/or maintaining love. Love is portrayed as fluid and hard to attain and keep old of, as seen by the senator leaving his wife and the widow on the roof losing her husband to another woman.  And then when the Senator tells Laura Farina that they are destined for solitude, it shows the difficulty for some to find love. All of this is displayed on the backdrop of imminent death. Everyone will eventually succumb to death, and for some it is sooner than for others.