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THE TIN DRUM, Gunter Grass

Book One, Chapter 12
Good Friday Fare

We have been speculating whether or not Oskar is a reliable narrator. In this chapter I think he is. Here we learn a lot about Oskar, his Uncle/Father and what to expect in the rest of the book.

"... the intact and colorful glass allowed Oskar to retain that remnant of Catholic faith which was later to inspire him to any number of desperate blasphemies.

So, Oskar must retain at least a little Catholic faith in order to denigrate it. If something is totally false, only the people who believe in it are subject to derision. If it is a little bit true, that truth can be ridiculed.

"Eels can't stop wriggling once they're put in salt, they keep squirming till they die and leave their slime in the salt. That's what you do if you want to smoke your eels afterward. Of course it's outlawed by the police and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but that doesn't stop eels from squirming."

All the rules and laws that there are cannot change what is real/true/natural.

"... he made it a habit to wave when everyone else did, and to yell, laugh, or clap whenever anyone also yelled, laughed, or clapped. That's why he joined the Party relatively early on, when it was still totally unnecessary, offered no advantages, and simply tied up his Sunday mornings."

Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" was also published in 1959. It says exactly the same thing as the quoted sentence. I wonder who influenced whom?

"Good Friday had ended for Oskar, but only after Easter would his Passion begin."

Is "Passion" here used as a pun? I don't think so, I think Oskar the inmate is telling us Oskar the young man will suffer for something important.

GaryG48 wrote:Is "Passion" here used as a pun? I don't think so, I think Oskar the inmate is telling us Oskar the young man will suffer for something important.

I don't think this is a pun either, and it's very foreshadowing sentence.

Gary you have chosen some excellent quotes from this chapter.

This chapter seems to build on the previous chapter.

"... he made it a habit to wave when everyone else did, and to yell, laugh, or clap whenever anyone also yelled, laughed, or clapped. That's why he joined the Party relatively early on, when it was still totally unnecessary, offered no advantages, and simply tied up his Sunday mornings."

This quote is especially poignant, it opens a little window where we can observe Matzerath a little closer. Matzerath is the only member of the family who is able to retrieve the eels from the horses head. Although he is fighting back the urge to vomit, he continues. It's hard to tell by this, the way he fights his personal reaction to the eels, whether or not he truly believes in the Nazi party, or if he just wants to belong to something, and be accepted in a group. He certainly is not thought of very well by his family. I think this shows much about his character. He is a follower and wants to be liked, he wants to please. These wants of Matzerath certainly will help him in his chosen path.

As Oskar ages and matures the gap between the realities of the “I” from the man in the institution and Oskar may close a bit. Oskar is now an adolescent, so I would think the memories will become more coherent and more truthful.