Re: Comments on Book Three, "The Tin Drum"
One of the most revealing passages about the purpose of Oskar occurs in the chapter entitled, "Madonna 49". Oskar becomes a model for art students and he describes the paintings that these students create, page 464.
The meaning of this passage is pretty clear. Oskar represents the people who witnessed the atrocities of WWII, and those who became victims. This is further evidence, in my eyes anyway, that Oskar is a character to be sympathized with. The narrator may feel that he himself is a representative of the victims of this war and uses Oskar for this purpose, as well as using Oskar as a tool to cope with the distruction of not only Germany, but the distruction of his own personal life.
Tweet This Topic
