Crabwalk: Analysis of Major Characters
"Crabwalk: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex dynamics among several key figures linked by the tragic sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff during World War II. Central to the narrative is Paul Pokriefke, a middle-aged journalist grappling with his family's past and his estranged relationship with his son, Konrad. Paul, born on the night of the ship's sinking, is ambivalent about his mother Tulla's insistence that he write about their history, which she views as crucial to understanding their identities. Tulla, who survived the tragedy and is a fervent believer in Nazism, instills certain ideologies in Konrad, who becomes involved in a neo-Nazi chat room dedicated to Gustloff, whom he idolizes as a martyr.
The narrative also features Wolfgang Stremplin, who engages with Konrad online, adopting a Jewish persona but ultimately meeting a tragic fate at Konrad’s hands. David Frankfurter, the Jewish figure who assassinated Wilhelm Gustloff, serves as a historical contrast to the characters' modern-day ideologies. The story highlights the ongoing impacts of Nazism in contemporary Germany, as well as the intergenerational struggles of understanding history and identity. Through these characters, "Crabwalk" presents a poignant reflection on the complexities of memory, history, and the legacies of the past.
Crabwalk: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Günter Wilhelm Grass
Alternate Title: Im Krebsgang
First published: 2002 (English translation, 2003)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Gdansk, Poland; Schwerin, Germany
Plot: Historical fiction
Time: Early 1930s to 1996
Paul Pokriefke, a middle-aged tabloid journalist living in West Germany who was born on January 30, 1945, the night the German refugee ship Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk by a Soviet submarine. Paul is a self-absorbed and resourceful man who avoids commitment to any political affiliation. Although his mother urges him to write about her experiences during World War II, Paul is ambivalent about exploring the past and does not consider it useful. When he is hired by an older man to research and chronicle the sinking of the Gustloff, he is disgusted to find that his estranged son is running a pro-Nazi chat room that considers the Nazi recruiter for whom the ship was named to be a martyr. His research leads him to consider the relationship between history and humankind, particularly how history can be modified or suppressed to suit a purpose, and the lingering effects of Nazism in modern Germany.
Ursula “Tulla” Pokriefke, the overbearing mother of Paul, who was rescued during the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. A white-haired, free-spirited woman who works in a state-run furniture factory, she prematurely gave birth to Paul on a rescue boat when she was seventeen years old. She considers the tragedy to be the defining moment in her existence. After the war, she lived in the Soviet sector of Germany. She considers Paul to be one of the ship's survivors, so she believes it is his duty to chronicle the tragic event. Tulla is a devoted believer in Nazism who becomes a supporter of Russian politician Joseph Stalin. When Paul refuses to write about the sinking of the Gustloff, she tells her grandson Konrad about her experiences.
Konrad “Konny” Pokriefke, the seventeen-year-old estranged son of Paul, raised in East Germany by his mother, Gabi. He is a pessimistic young man who is very close to his grandmother Tulla. From her, Konrad develops sympathies for the neo-Nazi movement. Konrad runs a chat room devoted to the murdered Nazi activist Wilhelm Gustloff, for whom the refugee ship was named. He considers Gustloff a martyr and believes the sinking of the ship is a symbol for the denial of Germany's suffering during World War II. Through his chat room, he meets Wolfgang Stremplin, who sympathizes with Gustloff's killer. Konrad later shoots and kills Wolfgang. At his trial, Konrad expresses his disapproval of Jewish people living among Aryans and consequently is seen as a martyr by neo-Nazis, much to Paul's disgust.
Wolfgang Stremplin, a young man who meets Konrad in the chat room he runs about the sinking of the Gustloff. Wolfgang sympathizes with David Frankfurter, the Jewish man who assassinated Gustloff. In Konrad's chat room, he assumes the identity of David, taking on a Jewish persona and becoming the target of Konrad's anger. When Wolfgang meets Konrad in person at the former memorial for Gustloff, he spits on it. After this defilement, Konrad shoots and kills him. During the subsequent murder trial, it is revealed that Wolfgang was not really Jewish.
David Frankfurter, a Jewish medical student who fatally shot Wilhelm Gustloff in his home in Switzerland on February 4, 1936. A depressed and suicidal young man, he turned himself in to the authorities after the assassination, stating that he killed Wilhelm to protest the spread of Nazism. Wolfgang, who takes on the online persona of a Jew named David, sees him as a hero.
Wilhelm Gustloff, a leader of the Nazi Party in the German-speaking section of Switzerland. During the early days of the Third Reich, he helped recruit thousands of German citizens to the Nazi Party and spread anti-Jewish propaganda. David Frankfurter assassinated him in his home on February 4, 1936. The German refugee ship was named in his honor. Konrad devotes much of his chat room efforts to Wilhelm, whom he considers a martyr.
Aleksandr Marinesko, the Soviet submarine commander from Odessa, Ukraine, who ordered the launch of torpedoes at the Gustloff. During his periods of shore leave, he enjoyed drinking heavily and fraternizing with women. After the war, he was relieved of duty and did not receive the recognition he expected. He was later sent to the gulag for accusing a superior of corruption. Paul finds supporters of Aleksandr's actions in Konrad's chat room and later details his actions on the night of the ship was sunk. His findings suggest that Aleksandr was a brute who sank the Gustloff to redeem his patchy service record.
Gabi, former wife of Paul and the mother of Konrad. She is ten years younger than Paul and was a student when they married. After Konrad was born, she and Paul divorced and she raised Konrad.