The Birthday King: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Birthday King: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into a complex web of relationships and moral dilemmas faced by characters during a tumultuous historical period. Central to the narrative is Ruprecht Waitzmann, an ambitious young man thwarted by his elder brother Alfried's religious convictions. Alfried grapples with his loyalty to the German aristocracy and his spiritual calling, ultimately facing imprisonment and torture in a concentration camp. The characters are intricately linked through personal ambitions, betrayals, and the overarching influence of the Nazi regime, particularly through the actions of Carin von Hoffbach, whose manipulations have dire consequences for her family.
Wilhelmina, their aging mother, plays a passive role, anxiously awaiting her sons' fates while managing Waitzmann Industries. The aristocratic Baron von Hoffbach embodies the struggle against Nazi barbarism, while his wife, Carin, complicates their lives with her infidelities. Their son, Leo, represents youthful escapism in contrast to the grim realities surrounding them. The narrative also explores themes of loyalty and betrayal through characters like Felix Grunewald, a conflicted SS officer, and his family, each reflecting different responses to the moral crises of their time. This analysis provides a nuanced understanding of the characters' motivations and the broader societal impacts of their choices.
The Birthday King: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Gabriel Fielding
First published: 1962
Genre: Novel
Locale: Bavaria, East Prussia, and Berlin
Plot: Historical
Time: August, 1939, and November, 1941, to July, 1945
Ruprecht Waitzmann (VITS-mahn), the second son of a wealthy widow who owns Waitzmann Industries, a conglomerate that operates pulp and textile mills. He is an ambitious, worldly young man who is hindered from taking over the business by his religious elder brother Alfried. To further his ambitions, he cultivates the friendship of Carin von Hoffbach, a promiscuous, gossipy woman who is the wife of a Baron. Her machinations in favor of Ruprecht lead to the imprisonment and torture of Ruprecht's brother, much to the shame of all concerned.
Alfried Waitzmann, the eldest son of Frau Waitzmann. He is torn between his love of the German aristocracy and his religious calling. An unsuccessful affair with a German woman who wants to be a nun in the United States does not solve his dilemma. He refuses his vocation to the priesthood, and he is finally imprisoned in a concentration camp and tortured. When the torture fails to break him, he is made a medical aide in the camp, in which position he reports to the American commander after the war.
Wilhelmina Waitzmann, an aging, nearly blind widow who is the mother of Ruprecht and Alfried. She runs Waitzmann Industries during the war, waiting for her favorite son, Alfried, to decide whether he wants to take her place. Her role is a passive one in regard to the story. She waits and hopes that her family will come out of the war intact.
Baron Nicholas von Hoffbach (HOHF-bahk), a wealthy German nobleman in his fifties who operates as liaison between Waitzmann Industries and the Nazi government. He continually upholds the ideal of the old German aristocracy in the face of what he considers Nazi barbarism. When he finds that his wife's indiscretion has led to the imprisonment of his friend Alfried, he refuses to cooperate any longer and takes part in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
Carin von Hoffbach, the Baron's promiscuous French-Prussian wife, who cultivates younger men. Her affair with Ruprecht leads her to insinuate accusations against his brother Alfried to a local Schutzstaffel (SS) man, ending in Alfried's imprisonment and torture. She tries in vain to prevent her husband from getting involved with the plot to assassinate Hitler.
Leo von Hoffbach, the son of the Baron and Carin. He seems interested only in his family's forest holdings and spends his entire life in the woods hunting. He briefly falls in love with the young Alexandra von Boehling, but she turns down his proposal of marriage.
Eva de Luce, the mother of Carin von Hoffbach. She is a senile elderly woman who appears in only one scene, showing the same petulant sensuality as her daughter, titillated by the “advances” of Hubertus Grunewald and Ruprecht Waitzmann.
Onkle Fritz, a cousin of Ruprecht and Alfried Waitzmann. He is a member of the board of directors of Waitzmann Industries and a good friend to Frau Waitzmann. His role in the story is that of the wise and helpful confidant.
Alexandra von Boehling (BOOH-lihng), a young lady from a noble German family living in Italy. She is visiting with the von Hoffbachs as a way to make her way toward a good marriage. She is drawn toward both Leo von Hoffbach and Ruprecht Waitzmann, neither of whom she seems to love. Her innocent passivity is a foil to the ambition of Ruprecht and to the cruel barbarism of the Nazis.
Felix Grunewald (GREWN-eh-vahlt), a middle-aged member of the SS who is in charge of a concentration camp. He prides himself on his rational and cultured approach to his prisoners. He is attracted to Alfried Waitzmann when the latter is imprisoned in his camp. He eventually has Alfried, as a trustee, do work around the commandant's house. When the Russians enter the city, he commits suicide in obedience to the Führer.
Gudrun Grunewald (GEW-druhn), a neurotic and withdrawn woman, Felix Grunewald's wife. She believes that her husband is not treating her properly. When Alfried arrives, she comes out of her cell, devoted to the Nazi cause. She commits suicide with her husband.
Hubertus Grunewald, the son of Gudrun and Felix. He is even more caught up in the Nazi mystique, writing a diary of his Nazi feelings. He chooses life over suicide when the time comes.