Europe Central: Analysis of Major Characters
"Europe Central: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the nuanced portrayals of various historical figures during a tumultuous period in European history. Among the prominent characters is Anna Akhmatova, a Russian poet who critiques the Soviet regime while also reflecting on the life of composer Dmitri Shostakovich. The text also presents Alexandrov, a personification of the NKVD, who serves as an observer and commentator on the actions of others within the oppressive context of Stalin's rule.
Kurt Gerstein, an SS officer, grapples with his conscience amidst the atrocities of the Holocaust, eventually becoming an informant against war criminals. The narrative touches on Fanya Kaplan, who attempted to assassinate Lenin, and Roman Karmen, a filmmaker who navigates the complexities of being a state propagandist while also embracing artistic vision. Käthe Kollwitz’s art poignantly captures the impact of war on mothers, while Elena Konstantinovskaya emerges as a central, enigmatic figure influencing both Shostakovich and Karmen.
The analysis also includes other notable figures such as Nadezhda Krupskaya, Lenin's wife, and Lieutenant-General Friedrich Paulus, who embodies loyalty to Hitler despite dire circumstances. The characters collectively illuminate the interplay of personal and political struggles during an era marked by conflict and moral ambiguity, inviting readers to reflect on the varying responses to power and oppression.
Europe Central: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: William T. Vollmann
First published: 2005
Genre: Novel
Locale: Russia and Germany
Plot: Historical fiction
Time: World War II era
Akhmatova [Gorenko], Anna Andreyevevna, a female Russian poet. She writes poetry critical of the Soviet prison system and also writes about the composer Shostakovich. She is described as having a “shadowy sensuality,” a pale complexion with dark eyes and dark bangs. There's an air of royalty about her that some find condescending.
Alexandrov, a narrator who is the personification of the NKVD (secret police). While Alexandrov is not a character per se (having no interaction with other characters, nor any sense of a personal life or selfhood), he is the mouthpiece, a personification, of the Communist Party under Stalin. He is a spy, watching the unfolding of other characters'lives, providing commentary and passing judgment on their actions, according to a party perspective.
Kurt Gerstein, an SS officer responsible for the shipment of the poison gas, Zyklon B, to prison camps. An early member of the Nazi party, Gerstein is committed to Nazi nationalism until it begins to conflict with his religious views. As a devout evangelical Christian, Gerstein cannot tolerate the scope of the genocide he is witnessing. He is a high-strung, anxious man who is tormented by his conscience. While he is no saint, (he does believe that Jews are vermin), he attempts to reveal to the world the scope of Hitler's “final solution.” Near the war's conclusion, Gerstein surrenders to the incredulous Americans who release him, disbelieving his claims, so he goes to the French. His “Gerstein Report,” a personal account of the atrocities he witnessed during the war, is entered as evidence for the prosecution of numerous war criminals.
Kaplan, Fanya, Lenin's would-be assassin. She fired three bullets. One missed Lenin. Of the other two, one went through his upper arm and the other travelled through his lung into his neck. Though this shot did not kill him, eventually—due to a surgery to remove the bullet— he suffered the first of a series of cerebral hemorrhages that would eventually kill him.
Karmen, Roman Lazarevich, Elena Konstantinovskaya's husband, a well-regarded filmmaker. Karmen is a fundamentally cheerful person, in stark contrast with all of Vollmann's other characters. While he is depicted as forward thinking, ultimately he is Stalin's propaganda machine. He did as he was asked to do, winning state prizes in 1942, 1947, and again in 1952. His first camera belonged to his “martyred father” and was his most treasured possession. His earliest work comprised photographs of Kathe Kollwitz's art. In the context of the novel, Kollwitz's work led Karmen to understand that “the representation of reality can be more real than the reality itself.” There is the sense of a naive kid about Karmen, popping in and out of brutal and dangerous conditions as though the warfare is child's play. Vollmann portrays him as a near-zealot for war and tragedy. He is a stark contrast to Shostakovich, who struggles to keep overwhelming Communist ideology out of his art. Shostakovich would say that Karmen sells out.
Käthe Kollwitz, a German painter and sculptor. Appearing in the chapter “Woman with Dead Child,” Kollwitz is a sensitive artist and mother who observes the life around her; the tragedies of war, disease, and the ravages of a devastated land. Her son, Peter, had volunteered to fight, but only after convincing his mother to convince her husband to allow it. He is immediately killed in Flanders. Her response is to throw herself into her work, which reflects her personal tragedy. (Though Vollmann is quick to note that some of her work predates her son's death.) Her greatest work projects the image of suffering brought on by war, and specifically, the suffering of mothers with dead children. Her husband, Karl, is a physician with his office in their home, thus exposing her to the tragedy of sickness and loss in her time. Fresh from their revolution, the Russian people embrace her work.
Konstantinovskaya, Elena Evseyevna, Roman Karmen's wife and Dmitri Shostakovich's lover. If there is one thread weaving this opus together, it is Elena Konstantinovskaya. More specifically, it is Elena's passion. She is the inspiration for the music of Shostakovich and the muse for Roman Karmen. She is an aloof seductress. For Vollmann, she is the very embodiment of Europe Central, and “she is unknowable,“ though “the object of obsessive desire.” As such, she is more of an object than a character, more metaphor than personality.
Krupskaya, Nadezhda Konstantinovna, Lenin's wife. A tragic figure, at least in her eventual disillusionment (in Vollmann's account), Krupskaya is a true believer for the Leninist cause, a social revolutionary. Essentially a bride of convenience, Krupskaya had been Lenin's copyist, carrying Lenin's correspondence and manifestoes while the two were exiled in Siberia. Ironically, their marriage begins with a full ceremony, church wedding. They live and sleep in separate quarters. Lenin refers to her as Nadya and she calls him Volodya. She suffers from a heart condition.
Lieutenant-General Friedrich Paulus, a German military officer. Having drafted the Operation Barbarossa war plan, outlining the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the 52-year-old Paulus is destined for greatness. His life's dream is to attain the rank of Field Marshal, the highest military rank (besides Fuhrer) in the German military. His wife, Elena Rosetti-Solescu, is descended from Romanian royalty, and is the driving force in Paulus's career. They have twin boys, Friedrich and Ernst, a daughter named Olga, and a grandson, Robert. Olga is married to Baron von Kutzschenbach. Paulus is meticulous to a fault, having had a father who demanded perfection, and his greatest strength is his ability to use a map, to analyze field positions as though studying a chessboard. He is extremely loyal to Hitler, trusting his Fuhrer's leadership even when he and his troops are completely surrounded in Stalingrad and dying from starvation. Knowing the situation is doomed to fail, he remains loyal to the Fuhrer's wishes, refusing to surrender. In one of history's great ironies, Hitler promotes him to Field Marshall, expecting him to commit suicide as Operation Blau fails, but Paulus disappoints him, going so far as to join the National Committee for a Free Germany (a Soviet-sponsored anti-Hitler movement). He becomes a witness for the prosecution at the trials in Nuremberg.
Vlasov, Andrei Andreyevich, a former Bolshevik war hero. Vlasov is portrayed as a modest, bookish man, more a scholar than soldier or commander. And he is smart to stay out of politics—for a while. It is said that Stalin himself consulted Vlasov when an attack on Moscow was imminent. Vlasov earns the Order of the Red Banner and rises to the position of Lieutenant General. Having been sent to do the impossible by Stalin himself, he becomes the Deputy Commander of the Volkhov Front, assigned the task of breaking the siege of Leningrad. Vastly outgunned and surrounded, Vlasov requests reinforcements or a least additional ammunition, but Stalin essentially shrugs his shoulders. Feeling betrayed, but committed to his army, Vlasov is resigned to die with his men. But he escapes only to be captured by the Germans, who offer him an interesting proposition: to fight with them against Stalin. Vlasov's Russian wife becomes Vollmann's metaphor for Vlasov's integrity, which he leaves behind when he chooses to form a Russian Liberation Army (ROA).
Captain Wilfried Strik-Strikfeldt,aCaptainintheSSGerman General Staff. Eventually becoming the formal liaison between Andrei Vlasov and the SS, Captain Strik-Stikfeldt and the captured Russian become instant friends upon meeting in Vinnitsa following Vlasov's capture by the SS. He is arguably more important to the formation of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) than Vlasov. He is genial and handsome as the two form a powerful partnership. He is unable to convince Hitler to back the formation of Russian troops to fight with the SS against Stalin.
Shostakovich, Dmitri Dimitriyevich, a Russian composer. Shostakovich is the main character, if this novel is said to have a main character, as if he wrote the entire score to accompany the war drama unfolding. His story is woven through the war's progression. Early on, he is a Russian darling, praised by the party for his inspiring compositions. His symphonies become anthems for the spirit of Russia and the Communist Party. He later falls out of favor but is spared imprisonment, though many of his friends and relatives are persecuted in the era of political repression known as the Great Purge, from 1936 through 1940. Vollmann characterizes Shostakovich's work as a reflection of the sounds in his life, alternating between the terrific chords of warfare—screaming bombs and the deafening roar—and that of his lovemaking with Elena—moaning and sighing, and the climactic intensity of orgasm. Vollmann portrays Shostakovich as a weak and anxious man, subject to the whims of his libido and his overwhelming passion for Elena Konstantinovskaya. With so-called “Jewish harmonies,” Shostakovich's music is sad and often frightening, not unlike the man himself.