This paper examines the role of Pilenz as narrator in Gunter Grass' "Katz und Maus".
Written in 2005; 2,531 words; 7 sources; MLA; $ 76.95
Paper Summary:
The paper explains how Gunter Grass' narrator, Pilenz, has a retrospective viewpoint that effectively enables the reader to see into the consciousness and subconsciousness of his contemporaries and allows the reader a suggestion of what is to come in the future. The paper shows how by exploring the narrator's role, the reader gains insight into the grave situation that Grass felt society to be in in 1961, the era of National Socialism. The paper explains how by continually bringing up the Cat and Mouse imagery through Pilenz, Grass effectively equates this game to the real life situation of Germany before and after the war.
From the Paper:
"In beginning to examine the role of Pilenz, Gunter Grass's narrator in Katz und Maus, the most obvious starting point would appear to be the clarification of the difference between author and narrator, each of
whom may have his own motivation and aims. In Understanding Gunter Grass Pilenz's role is defined as that of the 'the character [...] who draws our attention [...] to connections between Mahlke's life, [...] religious symbols and political, historical events.' Certainly, Pilenz's role as a character is something that comes out in Katz und Maus at the very beginning of the story. Pilenz appears from the beginning to realise that both he and Mahlke are fictional characters in his reference to 'der uns erfand' . We see also that Pilenz feels that ''Ich [...]mu nun schreiben. Selbst waren wir beide erfunden, ich muste dennoch' (p. 6). This indicates almost immediately that the named and specific characters in the story have little or no importance in conveying its essential meaning. After all, Pilenz tell us the story would still need telling even if these particular characters were fictional. Furthermore, as the story is one that needs telling despite the fact that these particular characters are of little importance, the message must have at least some relevance outside the story of Mahlke and Pilenz. It could, in fact be said, that this emphasis on the unimportance of the individual is actually part of Grass's message, the individuals not being important because they are not individuals in the true sense but are representative of a generic group."
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