This is obvious especially in chapter two. De Bernieres presents Mussolini as a self-loving dictator especially when he says “We must arrange it so that the people always see me from a lower position.” De Bernieres tries to show his readers Mussolini’s sheer absurdity and thwarted thinking when Mussolini orders the afforestation of Italy to make Italy colder, like the Germans. De Bernieres further turns Mussolini into a parody by displaying the brutality of Mussolini when he shoots the cat. De Bernieres gives realism to this barbaric act by capitalizing words which is meant to be an outburst of Mussolini’s anger. “WHO LET THAT CAT IN HERE?...NO I DON’T WANT TO DO IT MYSELF”. The purpose in doing so is to emphasize Mussolini’s absurdity and act as sardonic humour. The reader will then be ridiculing Mussolini with de Bernieres. The chapter ‘The Duce’ is a monologue of Mussolini which is a complete caricature of this ‘real’ leader.
Whereas ‘The Duce’ starts off as Mussolini acting vain which exacerbates our impression of him, ‘The Man who said ‘No’’ begins in a more somber tone which creates a more vulnerable atmosphere. Metaxas could not be a more different man from Mussolini, which is probably why the reader feels sympathetic towards him, as does De Bernieres. We know this because De Bernieres uses a lot of rhetorical questions to make Metaxas seem like the victim. “Why was Mussolini fabricating border incidents and diplomatic impasses? What had he done wrong?” This builds up our sympathy towards him and as the chapter comes to an end, Metaxas talks about death which further evokes our pity for the impotent man. After all, “he only wants his own nation”-the union of all Greeks unlike Mussolini who is trying to build an empire. The fact that even Metaxas doubts himself and thinks that he has been “nothing but an absurd little man” and even calls himself a poodle makes the reader pity him even more. That is also De Bernieres’ feeling towards Metaxas and thus wants the reader to feel the same. However to ease the atmosphere, de Bernieres ends the chapter like he started, with comic juxtaposition. The purpose of displaying Metaxas’ family ties with Lulu show Metaxas’ humanity whilst Mussolini is self-involved. This makes us feel more pity towards him, despite the fact that he gave Greece away.
Another chapter that fully expresses de Bernieres’ ridicule towards Mussolini is ‘A Pamphlet Distributed on the Island, Entitled with the Fascist Slogan ‘Believe, Fight, and Obey’’. Throughout this entire chapter is nothing but sarcasm and sardonic humour. In this pamphlet addressed to soldiers, de Bernieres mocks and shows deep contempt towards Mussolini. The synonymous that de Bernieres uses such as ‘This Promiscuous Syphilitic’, ‘Father of Innumberable Stunted Bastards’ and ‘Foul-Mouthed Peasant’ all capture an aspect of Mussolini’s character and contradicts the Duce’s actions at the same time. These synonymous are clear evidence of de Bernieres personal opinion of Mussolini. De Bernieres also hints that Mussolini is deranged for he “had Himself filmed winning tennis matches against professionals in games umpired by the Minister of Propaganda”. At the end of the chapter, de Bernieres displays sardonic humour in response to Mussolini’s actions. The increasing of capitalization near the end also suggests a climatic hysterical situation with Mussolini’s pathetic actions. This is exacerbated with each capitalized insult which emphasizes the end-“VIVA IL DUCE”. His purpose is obvious- to further humiliate Mussolini in front of the Cephallonian people and his readers.
In conclusion, de Bernieres’ personal presentation of Metaxas and Mussolini strongly differ and the purpose of each is to display the characteristics of each-no matter how absurd or pitiful.
