The End and the Beginning - Open Book Publishers

94 The End and the Beginning: On-line Supplement
class of people in town have a less generous view of the Kaiser’s flight than
she and so she too begins to see the matter differently. The repression of the
Spartacists by the Social Democratic government leads her to take a more
favorable view of the new republican regime. “It wasn’t easy to look up
to a former saddler as the head of state, but he seemed like a decent man,
and after all, one has to adapt to changing circumstances.” She now pleads
with Arthur to join the Social Democratic Party as the party in power. But
his response is, as usual, “Wait and see. I’m not joining any party. I am for
peace. That’s enough.” (62) In the same breath he forbids his wife – “in the
intolerably bossy tone that I hate in him,” as she reports – to join any party.
“Don’t make any ill-considered move, Martha. I will not stand for my wife
joining a party and inevitably involving me too.” “Whenever he spoke to
me in that vein,” the Frau Doktor “whispers,” “I had to get a good grip on
myself so as not to scream in his face: ‘You cripple, you dwarf’ (I am nearly
a head taller than he is),’how dare you speak to me in that tone of voice?’
And I would be overcome by the utter physical disgust I feel in his presence
and would remember my fear, during my pregnancy, that my child would
also come into the world as a cripple.” Fortunately, Lieselotte did not. She
is a strong, healthy girl.
At this point we are given a glimpse of Lieselotte’s character. There was
a moment, the Frau Doktor recalls, when her daughter wanted to marry
a poor engineer. For once Arthur and she were of one mind – in their
opposition to this marriage. Lieselotte yielded, but warned them angrily
that she proposed thenceforth to live her life as freely as she chose, and
wanted no comments or interference from them. The Frau Doktor was
incensed. “How can you speak in that tone to your parents?” But Arthur
only replied icily: “So long as your behavior doesn’t damage my practice,
you can entertain yourself in whatever way you please. Appearances must
be kept up, however, you understand?” Lieselotte did precisely as she said
she would and when on one occasion “she got into some trouble,” Arthur
took care of the problem. “Well, why else does one have a doctor for a
father…?” the Frau Doktor comments. “After that, Lieselotte was more
careful.” (63) In fact, Lieselotte despises her father’s ambitious scheming
and annoys her mother by mocking her small-town social ambitions and
hypocrisies. In contrast to Claudia and Toni, she is interested only in having
a good time. As a result, while she is incapable of any generous action, she
is also unmoved by grand phrases and heroic posturing and, unlike her
mother, does not lie to herself. To the despair of the Frau Doktor, Lieselotte