Essay Questions

Why does Sanna's brother want to write an poem that is complimentary about Hitler?

Sanna's brother shares her opinion of Hitler. He has no respect for him and he believes him to be evil incarnate. He also opposes his political ideologies. Much of his previous writing has expressed views that are contradictory to those espoused by the Third Reich, and because of this, his work has become considered too controversial for publication. If a publisher did agree with his opinions, it is unlikely that they would want to put their life at risk by publishing work by someone who had so publicly fallen out of favor with the Fuhrer and his acolytes.

He is a writer, though, and he wants to see his work in print. If he can make himself popular again, and get back into favor, it is more likely that his entire body of work will be looked at in a more relaxed way, and that he will be able to be published moving forward. The only way he can think of in which to do this is by writing a fawning poem about Hitler, and how inspirational both the man and his ideas are. He realizes that it is only by playing the Nazis at their own game - pretending to be fooled by Hitler, instead of outwardly opposing him - that he will guarantee both his family's safety and his own future as a writer.

Sanna knows what she should and should not say; yet she has trouble putting this knowledge into action. Why is this?

Sanna likes to take refuge in her own kind of cloud cuckoo-land. There, she can imagine her life is as she wants it to be, not how it is, and she can also believe that people are not as evil as they seem when she looks out of her window. She makes jokes about the SS, and tries to frame her opinions of Hitler with comedy, believing that doing this might let her get away with expressing her opinions. Hitler's rise is a huge inconvenience to Sanna. She and her friends are part of a political movement that is contrary to his, and consequently have seen their friends and relatives suddenly "disappear." Sanna wants to return to preoccupations such as matchmaking for her friend who is attracted to a blacklisted journalist, and preparing a birthday party. Instead she finds her very existence turned upside down.

Sanna listens to radio broadcasts about dissidents, and it occurs to her that she might be one. She does not want to make political points, or be a figure associated with opposition, but she fears that by simply opening her mouth she might just become one. She finds silence difficult primarily because she has never been aware of the effectiveness of propaganda before. She starts to wonder if her lighthearted comments might be taken too seriously, but she is confused by what it is acceptable to express, and to whom it is wise to express it. This is why she finds keeping her opinions to herself more difficult than anticipated.