in this novel, brown chooses to not only tell the story of the Washington crew team, but also to devote narrative space to hitler, Germany and the actions of the nazi govt before, during and after the 1936 olympics. What kind of context or deeper understanding does this provide to the reader?
Hitler used the Olympics to promote propaganda.... to support the "picture" he wanted to present of Germany. His propaganda office was responsible for presenting Germany in a way that would impress foreign visitors, introducing Olympic teams in a carefully planned and structured way, while behind the scenes, violence, murder and injustice were the norm. The Germans were so successful in their deception that the foreign visitors never imagined what was laying in the background..... the huge number of people being killed or shipped to working camps during the Olympic Games.
The Boys in the Boat
