Mother Night Summary

Mother Night Summary

Although Campbell was born in the USA, he spent his youth in Germany. When he grew up, he started working as a writer. Due to big success of his plays, Campbell quickly became famous. He had everything a man could dream about: fame, money, a place to live and - what was even more important – true love.

Before the World War II broke out, he met a strange man in the Tier Garden, Berlin. That was the day when he was recruited as an American spy. His main task was to become one of the most vicious Nazis and communicate information. Working as a propagandist, whose speeches were broadcasted on the whole English-speaking world, he helped a lot. However, that was the bright side of the coin. His terrible propaganda cost 6 million Jews their lives. He knew that and was able to live with this thought. The only one thing which really troubled him was disappearance of his wife, whose traces were lost in the Crimea.

The war drew to its end and Campbell made up his mind to go to the front, but before that he had to bid Helga’s family goodbye. However, he failed to escape, for the Americans took control of the territory. They even took Campbell to one of the concentration camps, so that he could see what he had done. In acknowledgment of his service, he was allowed to escape. The same man, who recruited him many years ago, gave him new documents. In such a way, he started a new life in New York. Nobody paid attention to him, so he led a peaceful life. Later on, he found a new friend in the person of an old neighbor. He and Kraft spent a lot of time together, discussing lives and arts. His quiet existence was disturbed by the White Supremacists.

One day their leader knocked his door and - to Campbell’s absolute astonishment - Helga was with him. Later on, it turned out to be that it was not Helga, but Resi, her younger sister. After a rather brutal attack, he, Kraft and his newly found love took shelter at the office of the Supremacists. Three of them were planning to go to the South America. After the meeting, he received the note, in which he was asked to meet with Wirtanen. He told Campbell that people he trusted were going to betray him, for both of them were working for the Soviets. During the raid on the office, Resi killed herself and Kraft was arrested. Campbell had nothing to do but to return to his old flat, where he found the man. He wasn’t a stranger, for he was O’Hare, the soldier, who watched over him when the Americans took over the city. The two men started fighting. Due to O’Hare’s intoxication, Campbell won and kicked him away. Then he went to his neighbor, a Jewish doctor, and asked to call someone, so that they could come and take him away. Although the doctor knew, who he was, he refused, but some time later, when Campbell knocked his door for the second time, he agreed, for he saw that the man in front of him needed a psychiatrist. Then he was send to Israel, where he waited for his trial in a nice jail, worked on his book and had talks with his guards.

His chances to win the case were below average and it couldn’t bother him less. When he received a conformation letter that could prove that he worked as a spy during the war, he decided to take his life, for he didn’t want to live any longer.

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