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The narrative arc of On Austrian Soil is perfectly mapped on to factual events. The autobiographical story of Sondra Perl’s engagement with a difficult present, deeply overshadowed by the horrors of the holocaust and the rise of Nazism, slowly reveals her apprehension about teaching in post war Austria to move to her confrontation of self and the terrible legacy of Jewish suffering. The narrative gathers tension until she goes to dinner with her friend’s husband’s parents Anna and Luis, where she comes face to face with two barely repentant Nazis. The scene is gripping. Perl describes the simple fare and the already poured wine; so normal and yet so loaded with irony. She writes of the meeting, “This time, I am prepared to shake hands. As I do, I inspect Gert’s father for signs of evil. All I see is an old man with bushy white eyebrows, who stands a bit shorter than his wife…I think to myself, this balding, bespectacled man with a crooked smile must have been handsome ” (163-164). This line seems to carry so many possibilities with respect to how we view evil and how evil manifests itself. How can evil be handsome? What does it mean to do evil, as opposed to being evil? Is there a difference? Perl’s comment resonates, because it is so central the problem of putting a face to evil, but conversely there is something so human in trying to see the human being and to grasp his entirety.
As the meal goes on with the talk of war and the continual resentment Luis displays for all things American. He is angry about the negative treatment he received as a former Nazi after the war. Even as Perl wonders about his sense of perspective, he seems unrepentant about his actions and his allegiances. When Anna begins to speak of “Adolf” and uses his Christian name almost cordially, it is difficult to read, let alone experience. When Arthur says “Wir sind Juden,” it is a moment that many have imagined, yet never encountered in real life. The passage ends with Perl’s’ question, “What does it mean to look, even momentarily, into the eyes of someone I would formerly have seen only as my enemy?” (169). The question haunts one —though not Jewish, my mother had enough Jewish friends in Portsmouth, and had herself lost everything fighting the Nazis, her home (twice) and her husband,so that her hatred of the Nazi’s was more than palpable—periodically I dream about hiding from Nazi’s or escaping them. Our parent’s legacy of fear and hatred runs deep. I find it fascinating to read how Perl turn’s the situation into one of friendship and learning.
The letters that proceed this moment also seemed to be a very good way to open up the issues of feelings of distrust, discovering empathy and, to a certain degree, of healing. As a narrative device where there are questions and anxieties that need to be asked, pursued and explored, I thought this was an excellent way to unpack the issues. It allowed the reader to see a highly nuanced exploration of a difficult conversation that was given time and space to show feelings and the charged nature of the relationship. It came from both sides. Gripping material!Post count: 27
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