Max Ward

English 341W

December 9, 2015

The Life of Survival

There is no shortage of commentary on World War II. From the wartime atrocities to the
hyperinflation that preceded them, hundreds of books have written to explain the horror that was
Hitlers Germany. Goodbye to Berlin is not one of those books. From the beginning of the novel
Christopher Isherwood assures the reader that he is a camera with its shutter open, quite passive,
recording, not thinking, and yet there is something peculiar in his photograph of pre-WWII
Germany (Isherwood 3). Looking closely, there is a subtlety to his depiction of the country.
Instead of directly offering his thoughts on the volatile political climate, he utilizes people and
events which allow the reader to discover his insights for themselves, leaving them with a more
substantial and lasting impression of the atmosphere surrounding him. He intentionally
emphasizes some of the seemingly more ordinary parts of his novel to, while simultaneously
minimizing what seem to be critical moments. This, coupled with the lack of emotion that
characterizes the novel, gives a sense of just how normal the political turmoil had become in
Germany. As a whole, Isherwoods photographs shows us that at a time where Germany was on
the brink of explosion, where Nazi radicals were openly attacking Jews, the world moves on,
people must struggle to live any life they can.
The most subtle aspect of Isherwoods style is how he addresses the spreading racism and
violence that was endemic to Germany. The novel seems to continually gloss over major
examples of violence and terror, tossing them aside with offhand comments or simple
conclusions. One of the most obvious examples of this is the case of Bernhard. After Isherwood
spends more than thirty pages building on his friendship with Bernhard, he disappears:

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December 9, 2015

Herr Landauer has gone away gone right away. Do you mean hes moved from
here? I asked. Can you give me his address? Hes gone away the caretaker
repeated,

and slammed the window shut. I left it at that - concluding, not unnaturally, that

Bernhard

was somewhere safe abroad. (Isherwood 181)

In an instant Bernhard is gone. Isherwood does not suggest where he is, he does not speculate
about what happened, he does not assume the worst. Instead he exemplifies what the average
German would have thought in the same situation, how they must have convinced themselves
that nothing was wrong just to keep living. In fact, Isherwood never mentions Bernhards name
again. Only through an overheard conversation in Prague is Bernhard confirmed to be dead. By
highlighting his own reaction Bernhards death, Isherwood reveals how it was possible for
German citizens allow these atrocities to happen.
Isherwood almost never directly comments on the militarism that was sweeping through
Germany. In fact, there are moments when the novel ignores major turning points in the
formation of Nazi Germany. Isherwood, along with Sally and Clive, almost completely ignore a
major political funeral happening right in front of them. Say, who was this guy anyway? asked
Clive, looking down. I guess he must have been a big swell? God Knows, Sally answered,
yawning. Look, Clive darling, isnt it a marvellous sunset (Isherwood 181)? In fact, the funeral
was for Hermann Muller, a major figure in the Social Democrat party. With his death the Nazi
party won a major victory in their fight for the German government, and yet the trio was more
interested in the sunset. This snapshot implies that despite the political turmoil surrounding them,
people were simply trying to enjoy their lives the best they could.

Max Ward

English 341W

December 9, 2015

Of all the characters Isherwood introduces into the novel, none are more characteristic of
his subtle approach than Rudi. Rudi, who wanted nothing more than to be a part of a fantastical
communist revolution. Rudis make-believe, story-book game has become earnest; the Nazis
will play it with him. The Nazis wont laugh at him; theyll take him on trust for what he
pretended to be. Perhaps at this very moment Rudi is being tortured to death (Isherwood 205)
Although such a small part of the novel, Rudi symbolizes the first victims of the Nazi party. The
people who were too unaware to realize the serious nature of what was happening, and too naive
to keep their heads down. There is a distinct fatalism in Isherwoods description of Rudis future,
an inevitability in the outcome. Rudi will die because he was not focused on survival. His is a
life that is no longer viable in Germany, there is no more room for Make-Believe.
Although there are consistent examples of anti-semitism and violence surrounding
Isherwood, he refrains from utilizing emotion to characterize them. From the beginnings of the
novel he maintains a friendly relationship with Frl. Mayr who is an ardent Nazi (Isherwood
11). In one particular case he walks in as Frl. Mayr listens through the floorboards to the
domestic violence beneath her. Hes beating her black and blue! exclaimed Frl. Mayr, in
raptures. She had caused the beating of a Jewish woman, and she was enjoying her work. Many
people will, instinctually, have the desire to hate Frl. Mayr. She is a Nazi, she has caused another
person harm, and she shows no remorse. Yet, Isherwood mentions none of this. As he describes
the event he does not comment on Frl. Mayrs actions, he offers no opinions on her character as a
person. Instead, his emotionless description opens the door for us to learn that Frl. Mayr is
someone who, despite her anti-semitic views, is completely average. She struggles to pay her

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English 341W

December 9, 2015

rent, struggles to find consistent work, and struggles to find another husband. Isherwood shows
us that, despite her Nazi affiliation, Frl. Mayr is just another person trying to survive in Germany.
In fact, Isherwoods emotionless tone normalizes the turmoil in Germany, it shows us
how easily citizens grew to expect it. As he describes Nazi raids on Jewish stores, it is hard not
to imagine it as a regular occurrence:
They manhandled some dark-haired, large-nosed pedestrians, and smashed the windows
of all the Jewish shops. The incident was not, in itself, very remarkable; there
were no

deaths, very little shooting, not more than a couple of dozen arrests. I

remember it only

because it was my first introduction to Berlin Politics. (Isherwood

137)
The passage has an overwhelming mundane tone, almost as if to say so what? It implies that
there is almost nothing that can be done to remedy the coming violence, that it has become
ingrained into every day life. Above all it suggests that if Isherwood, a relatively new arrival to
Germany, can become so desensitized to the violence, it is hardly remarkable that every one else
could as well.
Isherwood did not only refrain from using emotion to explain the Nazis and their actions.
In fact, during his time with Otto, Isherwood utilized his emotionless observation to highlight the
lowest class in Germany. Frau Nowak particularly exemplifies the type of life that could be had
in the slums.
In the Wassertorstrasse one week was much like another. Our leaky stuffy little attic smelt
of cooking and bad drains. When the living-room stove was alight, we could hardly
breathe; when it wasnt we froze. The weather had turned very cold. Frau Nowak
tramped the streets, when she wasnt at work, from the clinic to the board
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of health
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offices and back again: for hours she waited on benches in draughty
over complicated application-forms. (Isherwood 122)

As he describes the plight of Frau Nowak he does not express pity or sorrow for her situation, to
do so would have only highlighted the unfairness of her life. His matter-of-fact writing style
drew attention away from her situation, focusing all eyes on her struggle against it, highlighting
the lengths she went to to survive. In fact, it is nearly impossible to read the fourth section of the
novel without realizing the overwhelming effort exerted by each individual to live their own
lives.
Although Isherwood claims objectivity, he seems to directly initiate events that highlight
more arcane aspects of the German struggle. By putting Mr. Sandars in contact with Sally, he
sets in motion a series of events that would lead to the boys arrest. Despite his occupation as a
con artist, Mr. Sandars was a young boy trying to manage his life alone, and his arrest brought
that life to an end. All he said was: I thought you were my friend. Id have told him he could
keep the money, but hed spent it all, anyway The doctors seen him and hes going to be sent
to a home. I hope they treat him decently there (Isherwood 75). In fact, this affair illuminated
Germanys brutally efficient response to the criminal desperation caused by the financial crisis in
Germany. What if everyone accused of a crime was sent to a home? Without civil rights,
without protection from the law, anyone could be sent away, anyone could disappear.
There are distinct choices in the novel to focus on characters who most directly exemplify
Isherwoods message of survival. From the Landauers to Frl. Mayr to the Nowaks, every
character introduction adds a new perspective to the photograph he is creating. No one in the
novel does this more so than Frl. Schroeder. Already she is adapting herself, she will adapt
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herself to every new regime. This morning I even heard her talking reverently about Der Fuhrer
to the porters wife She is merely acclimatizing herself, in accordance with a natural, like an
animal which changes its coat for the winter (Isherwood 204). He describes her as if her future
is a certainty. She will adapt, she will survive, no matter what. Through Frl. Schroeder
Isherwood explains exactly how Germany could allow Hitler to come to power, to exterminate
the Jews, to cause a world war. It wasnt through some massive character flaw, or an innate evil
that was present in the German people. Instead it was their instinct to survive, their desire to keep
living that forced them to adapt to the Nazi regime. There is almost the sense that Frl. Schroeder
could have been anybody, she was everybody.
Isherwood spent years in Germany, and while his novel was written prior to World War II
there is a sense that he knows something terrible is coming. Despite this, it is not the most
important aspect of his novel. Instead he manages to enlighten us on the plight of the common
German. While other novels focus on the camps, the economic crash, or Hitlers rise to power,
Isherwood asks What about the common man? How does an entire population cope with the
slow erosion of their lives and their country, how do they maintain some sense of normalcy? and
subsequently answers They adapt, they keep their heads down, they survive. Ultimately,
Isherwood was not the objective camera he initially implied, there was a distinct message hidden
in the photograph.

Max Ward

English 341W

December 9, 2015

Bibliography
Isherwood, Christopher. Goodbye to Berlin. London: Minerva, 1989. Kindle Edition.