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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:25 am Post subject: Stones from the River, by Ursula Hegi.
This is a side-bar discussion of Stones from the River, by Ursula Hegi.
Will you join Saffron and me?
Quote:
Publisher Comments:
Stones from the River is a daring, dramatic and complex novel of life in Germany. It is set in Burgdorf, a small fictional German town, between 1915 and 1951. The protagonist is Trudi Montag, a Zwerg — the German word for dwarf woman. As a dwarf she is set apart, the outsider whose physical "otherness" has a corollary in her refusal to be a part of Burgdorf's silent complicity during and after World War II. Trudi establishes her status and power, not through beauty, marriage, or motherhood, but rather as the town's librarian and relentless collector of stories.
Through Trudi's unblinking eyes, we witness the growing impact of Nazism on the ordinary townsfolk of Burgdorf as they are thrust on to a larger moral stage and forced to make choices that will forever mark their lives. Stones from the River is a story of secrets, parceled out masterfully by Trudi — and by Ursula Hegi — as they reveal the truth about living through unspeakable times.
Choosing a heroine, Trudy Montag, with an appearance that will set her apart from the others, and also who has a gift: being able to see the pastand the future simultaneously, p 11.
Main characters in novels whose appearance is distateful to others, and who are thus set apart:
- Elphaba, in Maguire's Wicked, is green.
- Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo ... not quite though. This is the English title, the French title is Notre Dame de Paris.
Quasimodo is a hunchback but Hugo did not see him as the main character, the main character being the cathedral.
At first glance, there aren't that many such characters chosen to be the hero of a novel.
Main characters in novels whose appearance is distateful to others, and who are thus set apart............At first glance, there aren't that many such characters chosen to be the hero of a novel.
Can you think of others?
There are lots of them in fairy tales from around the world. It is a device that forces the reader to focus on the inner qualities of the character in order to like or identify with them. In doing so, it brings awareness to the reader of the judgments we each make all the time, based on superficial characteristics. I think this is part of what Hegi is trying to accomplish with Trudy. A character (and I'd say it's true in life) that is for what ever reason "set apart", becomes an outsider and has the unique position of being privy to the group and yet not fully included. This position allows the character to comment and observe from a distance, but with an insiders knowledge.
It's Funny you should start right off with Trudy! My first thought when pulling the book off my shelf was, I wonder why Ursula Hegi chose to make Trudy a dwarf.
I think that one of the things that results from Trudi being a dwarf is a muddying of the self/other distinction--something particularly important in a novel that addressed Germany under Nazism. Trudi is self: a citizen of Burgdorf, a member of the community (a limited member, but not actually an outcast). And Trudi is other: a "disfigured" oddity, someone who will always be different. The Jews are self: neighbors, friends, would-be lovers, self-identified Germans, members of the community. And the Jews are other: a group that comes to be avoided, disdained, and ultimately shipped off (and worse).
In chapter one we are introduced to Trudi and Georg, both children that are disappointments to their mothers. The impact on both the mother and the child is enormous. In a way this sets up a major theme in Hegi's novel. Expending too much energy on rejecting, hating, trying to force one's will on another corrupts and distorts.
Saffron
Expending too much energy on rejecting, hating, trying to force one's will on another corrupts and distorts
Very strong forces, when not turned against others, can be turned against the self and cause madness: Trudi's mother, Gertrud, becomes mad.
Then she seems to accept her daughter at ther age of three months, and there is a strong bond between them afterwards.
So from the first 50 pages I've read, guilt seems to be an important theme.
Gertrud is guilty about her relation with Emil, and feels that this is the cause of both her husband's knee injury and Trudy's deformity.
(Is it implied anywhere that Trudi could be Emil's daughter?)
Trudy understands the link bewtween her deformity and her mother's madness, and then feels guilty when Gertrud goes to the psychiatric hospital and later dies.
The power of secrets is a prevalent theme in Stones from the River. Trudi is a secret stealer—she barters for and uncovers people's secrets, which she then weaves into stories and spreads around the town.
How do secrets effect the relationships between people? How do they effect the characters in Stones from the River? Clearly, Trudi has power as a result of all the secrets she knows.
