Getting the Leftovers

Think to your childhood memories of when your mother or even your father announced that tonight for dinner was, yep, you guessed it; leftovers.  And to some, depending on if it was meatloaf and mashed potatoes, may have been excited or if it was not necessarily one of your favorites, it may have the opposite reaction.  But those associations are powerful things.  In The Invention of Curried Sausage, it was the thoughts of a favorite food with an associated memory that that led him in his search for the woman who used to make it for him.  Or in A Woman in Berlin, it was the leftovers as Germany appeared defeated and the Russians were left to plunder through Berlin.  And yet, each of these accounts shows how people wrestle with the aftermath; the leftovers.  Whether, if it is just for one person in the case of Hermann Bremer or several women in A Woman in Berlin, each of these characters is left to face the circumstances in the aftermath of war.  And for some, this means war associates with rape by Russian officers whereas others associate with an affair and certain culinary affinities.  Either way, these "leftovers" stand to leave an impact whether it is for better or worse.

The opportunities that each of us face stand to have a tremendous impact on our lives.  In reading each of these accounts, I found that this was especially with the case of the woman in Berlin.  Here she is, left in a state of turmoil as the Russians come in, advancing for Reichstag in April of 1945.  For the Russians, they have hardened and vengeful hearts for how Germany treated them and devastated their country throughout the war.  And yet, as a result, the use of women to someone satisfy their vengeful hearts proves only temporary as this act is repeated with several different Russian officers.  From the perspective of this woman, it seems that 1945 Berlin has become a "living hell" for her and fellow German citizens as they are each "put into their place" and associated with the greater Germany as a whole.

On the contrasting side of this woman's account of 1945 Berlin, Uwe Timm paints a portrait of Bremer through association with a beloved food.  The Invention of Curried Sausage chronicles the story of Hermann Bremer and Lena Brucker, who has invented this famous curried sausage.  Early on, it details their relationship as lovers together and how he faces the conflict between serving his country as well as his relationship with Brucker, which he details by saying, "Bremer was scared; scared to stay with Lena Brucker and scared to go to the front.  These were his options: to desert and possibly face a firing squad of his own people, or to go to the front and be torn to pieces by a British tank.  In either case only one thing mattered: to get through alive.  But which alternative offered the better chance" (41).  Bremer is faced with a decision of what it is that he is needing to do and though his choice, he finds himself in an interweaving of secrets between him and Brucker that appear to be concealed at times primarily for self preservation.

It is a radical change to go from discussing the Holocaust one week to reading about post war Germany another.  However, when you truly examine these differences and see the devastation that occurred within Germany following World War II, you'd see that the German people were made to be victims just like the Jews.  And yet, one word appears as a common theme both of Alter's story as well as though of Timm and the anonymous writer, which is that of survival.  While these individuals are stripped of themselves, both literally and metaphorically and left with facing the choice of continuing to fight in the German cause, it becomes simply a fight for survival.  And yes, it is easy to see how in the case of the Holocaust, that for these individuals who were being exterminated, survival seems like a natural thought process.  However, the perspective change of post war Germany presents a different vantage point.  Whether these individuals were being raped on a continual basis for Russian pleasure or facing uncertainty in serving his country, survival seems to emanate from these pages, despite these separate accounts.

So in the aftermath of World War II in 1945 Germany, things look as they seem.  The country is in ruins and at one point, the woman believes that God is the only one that can help us.  Each of these accounts presents a profound perspective as they seek to explain the places that German citizens found themselves in.  And yes, while Jews were victims of the Holocaust, the Germans were simply victims of being German and therefore punished by the Russians because of it.  And yet, in the midst of turmoil, the "leftovers" seem to prevail, the survival lives on and hope continues...

Discussion Questions
1) Over the semester, we have noticed consistencies or at least taken note of the purpose in sharing these various accounts of German history.  In terms of the anonymous woman, why do you think it was necessary to remain anonymous? Did she have something in particular that she was needing to protect?  At that point, what else is left in need of protection? And in contrast, why did Timm narrate his telling of curried sausage?
2) To be in Bremer's position, how do you face being AWOL and not following the German cause that you sought to fight for? What prompted him to stay with Brucker? Discuss further the implications of being AWOL to the German army; implications for soldier, etc.

3) I have found it interesting in the past week to notice the element of film of the portrayal of history.  As I was reading this book, I could not help but find that both of these novels were made into movies (the trailer for A Woman in Berlin is attached above).  Of all the novels to become movies, why these two?  What is it about these accounts that you may find impacting when seeing it on a movie screen?  And another piece to note in the use of these films is accuracy.  How can you watch one or both of these movies and feel as though it matches the accounts from the novels themselves?
4) In comparing and contrasting these two representations, would you say that one is better than another?  Do you see the same themes and ideas consistent with the book to movie adaptations?
5) Put yourself in the position of the woman.  With all of the rape that is continually committed, how do you wrestle with the issue of survival?  Does it soon become something that is routine and then disregard the thoughts of your husband?  How do you rationalize this behavior?  Do you claim it as "war/ social injustices" or is it more from the motives of the Russians?
6) In thinking of the framework that these authors provide in detailing post World War II Germany, are the Russians truly out for revenge?  How does this compare to their liberation of the concentration camps in 1945?

Resources
Anonymous. A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City. Frankfurt: Eichborn AG, 2003. Print.
Fulbrook, Mary. A History of Germany: 1918-2008 The Divided Nation. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2009. Print.
Timm, Uwe. The Invention of Curried Sausage. New York: New Directions Publishing Co., 1995. Print.