'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
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Chapter 4: Three Images <strong>of</strong> Woman in “Der Räuberbräutigam” and<br />
Lene’s Personal History<br />
The fairy tale in Deutschland, bleiche Mutter not only describes Germany‟s<br />
wartime history by encoding the events <strong>of</strong> the Holocaust, but it also mirrors Lene‟s<br />
personal story. Sanders-Brahms makes use <strong>of</strong> the fairy tale segment to demonstrate how<br />
the realities <strong>of</strong> war, the post-war period, and the political environment <strong>of</strong> these eras<br />
shaped Lene‟s personal experiences and individual identity. Naughton has noted that,<br />
“The tale <strong>of</strong> the robber bridegroom is one which […] manages to integrate the<br />
biographical and familial components <strong>of</strong> the film, establishing parallels between the<br />
narrative function <strong>of</strong> the bride within the tale and incidents in Lene‟s life” (n. pag.). I<br />
suggest that this claim can be extended to not only the fictional miller‟s daughter but also<br />
to the old woman and the murdered maiden. In my view, the actions <strong>of</strong> the three female<br />
characters in the Grimms‟ piece reflect and thus highlight how Lene reacts to hardship<br />
and the deportation <strong>of</strong> the Jews during the Nazi era, and to men‟s oppression during the<br />
Economic Miracle. The following analysis will examine how the actions <strong>of</strong> the miller‟s<br />
daughter, the old woman, and the murdered maiden <strong>of</strong> the Grimms‟ tale mirror and thus<br />
underscore those <strong>of</strong> Lene in the film narrative.<br />
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