To the Land of the Cattails: Analysis of Major Characters
**To the Land of the Cattails: Analysis of Major Characters** delves into the lives of several pivotal figures set against the backdrop of an impending tragedy during the Holocaust. At the center is Toni Strauss, a Jewish woman grappling with her past and present as she returns to her birthplace with her son, Rudi. Despite her perceived shortcomings and a growing fear of the looming danger, Toni's allure captivates those around her. Rudi, her son, struggles with feelings of love and frustration toward his mother, highlighting a stark contrast between his emotional resilience and her vulnerability.
The narrative also introduces Rosemarie, a tavern owner whose murder signals the dire circumstances faced by Jews, and Tina, another tavern woman who initially reacts with madness to the unfolding horrors but gradually resigns to her fate. The character of Arna, a young Jewish girl, adds depth, as she embodies wisdom beyond her years and provides care and comfort to Rudi during their shared ordeal. Through these characters, the story explores themes of fear, identity, and the impact of societal collapse on personal relationships, creating a poignant reflection on the human experience in times of crisis.
To the Land of the Cattails: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Aharon Appelfeld
First published: 1986
Genre: Novel
Locale: En route between Austria and Bukovina
Plot: Allegory
Time: 1938–1940
Toni Strauss, née Rosenfeld, a Jewish woman who was divorced by her gentile husband when she was only twenty years old; they had been married three years. A dark, beautiful woman, she has had many lovers. A year after an elderly lover dies and leaves her a legacy, Toni decides that she and her son must return to her birthplace. She is short on education and academic knowledge, which leads her son to think that she is a stupid woman, yet people fall in love with her wherever she goes. Toni almost dies of typhus when they are in Buszwyn. Throughout the book, Toni experiences an ever-growing fear. It is an oppression that grows greater as she and Rudi near her parents' village, just as her craving for coffee increases. In the end, she is taken by the Nazis, along with her parents, to the concentration camps.
Rudi Strauss, Toni's son by her gentile husband, August Strauss. Rudi loves his mother but cannot stand the way that her mind seems to be a jumble of thoughts clouded with fear. His connection with animals emphasizes the difference between his mother's hypersensitivity and his insensitivity. After a drunken binge, he recovers to find that his mother has gone to see her parents without him. He follows, but a day behind, to the railway station. Along the way, he meets Arna and takes her with him.
Rosemarie, the dead owner of a tavern, murdered because she was a Jew. Rosemarie's death is the first real sign of the impending doom that will engulf first Toni and then Rudi.
Tina, a woman at Rosemarie's tavern. At first, Tina is insane with the events that are befalling Jews for no apparent reason. By the end of Toni and Rudi's stay, she seems to have accepted the fate that is approaching them.
Arna, a young Jewish girl. Arna, while at the railroad station with the other Jews awaiting deportation, was sent by her mother to fetch water. When Arna returned, all the people were gone. Arna takes care of Rudi when he falls ill while they are looking for their mothers. Although she is still very young, Arna is wise and helps Rudi to accept himself as a Jew. Arna reassures Rudi that “soon we'll find them all” when he despairs of finding his mother, though finding them all will probably be in death.