Respond to one of the following:
1) How would you characterize Alex's mother, Christiane, as a mother and a citizen of the GDR? In what ways are these two roles intertwined for her and her children? Does her affection for and devotion to the GDR make her seem sympathetic or odd (or both)?
2) Discuss the director's use of literary devices such as sarcasm and irony to address the social, political and economic realities facing East Germans in 1989/90. Is he effective? Use specific examples from the movie to illustrate your points.
40 comments:
In the movie, I think Christiane is both a mother and a party member. I think that the two roles are intertwined a lot. I think she does what she does in the party in the hopes of bettering the lives of her children for the future. By being an active member in the GDR, Christiane hoped to changed East Germany and make it a place that was less hostile to her children and her life style. I think in that way, she is more sympathetic than odd, but I also think she is odd. I think the reason she immersed herself in the GDR was to help her get over the fact that she was never going to be able to go to the West like she had originally wanted. I think that by convincing herself that East Germany was the place to be, she was able to get over the fact that she couldn’t go to the west with her husband. I think that after a period of time, she was able to convince herself of that which makes her a little odd in my book. I think the fact that she is so passionate about both makes her both odd and sympathetic.
The director uses a lot of ironic and sarcastic situations in this film to portray real life issues that the people living in East Germany had. First off, the director uses the fact that she was in a coma to portray the distinct differences between East and West Germany. Throughout the movie, Alex has to recreate the socialist society in his apartment. This was no easy task and took a lot out of Alex. First he had to find all of the old furniture and put that back into the apartment when the elevator was broken. He had to find certain brands of food which was almost impossible which is why he just refilled socialist jars with western food. The director shows hard economic times by showing how Christiane hid her money because she wouldn’t put it in a bank. The problem was, she never told anyone where the money was and forgot herself were she hid it. This was a real life problem because if her two children didn’t have a job, they would probably be homeless or close to it. It was also ironic how she hid it in her furniture that was thrown out when the wall came down. The director used irony when Alex and his sister missed the exchange date by one day. They could have traded in all of their mother’s wealth, but because they missed it by one day, all of their mother’s life savings meant nothing anymore. Lastly, it was also slightly ironic how Alex used western technology to broadcast old socialist news to his mother. I think that the director was very successful. He displayed the real issues that affected East Germany in a way that was entertaining and at certain points really funny. This film also made you think too about what happened in Germany and what the average person had to go through. I think that this film was very well made and for the most part fairly accurate
I think that Alex's mother, Christiane, was a very interesting character in the movie "Goodbye, Lenin."
As a mother, it was clear that she truly loved her children and wanted to protect them. Although she had wanted to escape to the west with her husband ten years earlier for the sake of herself and her children, she was afraid. She knew that the kids would benefit from the Western lifestyle, but at the same time she knew that if she was caught leaving they could be taken away from her. The fact that she chose to stay in East Germany characterizes her as a frightened mother at a duality as to how to best protect and care for her children. For this reason, her role as a mother and a citizen of the GDR are intertwined. Since she chose to continue to raise her family in East Germany, she showed her loyalty to the socialist country.
As a citizen of the GDR, I think that Christiane appeared faithful, but underneath was struggling to continue her loyalty. When she awoke from the coma, she probably liked the familiarity of the GDR that Alex had created for her and for that reason her devotion made her seem sympathetic; she didn't know any better. Near the end of the film, I think it was revealed that her devotion had initially only been skin-deep and she was truly unhappy with the scary and forceful environment she was raising a family in. After she had recovered, though, I think that she had come to believe in the GDR and was completely devoted to it. I don't find her affection for the GDR odd, though; I think she had come to accept that she had lost her opportunity to flee several years ago and simply chose to accept the lifestyle and be supportive since that style of government really didn't give her a choice. The only thing that might have made it seem odd was the fact that life all around her was moving on while she was still stuck in a socialist government that in reality did not exist. Seeing the contrast between what Christiane thought was there and what we as an audience knew was there might have made her devotion seem strange.
I really enjoyed "Goodbye, Lenin" and think that it was really helped me to understand the differences between East and West Germany and the unification of the two.
AnnMarie Augusto
Mr. Kirby
AP European History
14 June 2010
Alex’s mother, Christiane, in ‘Goodbye Lenin’ is someone of great compassion and dedication. She is both devoted to being a caring, concerned mother and a faithful member of the GDR. Although these commitments are both separate identities in a way, they are very much intertwined in regards to her motivations and aspirations. Christiane’s intentions were to protest to change East Germany to make it a better place for her children to live and thrive in, and she strongly stood behind socialist change. She devoted her life to the cause as a symbol of anger toward her husband. She wanted deeply to go to the west with him, but many factors held her back, which are revealed toward the end of the film. In this way, Christiane is revealed as sympathetic because she was just worried about what would happen with her children. She did not want authorities to take them away from her. Because she felt she had no choice but to stay in East Germany, she was dedicated to making it the best place possible for her children and do whatever she could to further socialist advancements. I think the reason why she was so passionate about East Germany and seeing socialist change- because she felt she could not go to the west with her husband- makes her intentions a little skewed and odd. I also feel like some of her devotion to the GDR was just to keep her mind off of the loss of her husband to the west. She probably wanted to be involved in something to keep her mind off of the personal problems she encompassed, and get involved in a cause she thought she might be able to see positive change for her and her children. All in all, Christiane is a very interesting character in ‘Goodbye Lenin’ and it can only be inferred what her psychological state truly was.
Alex’s mother, Christiane, in “Good Bye Lenin!” was a very passionate person both for her children and the GDR. As a mother she always put her children first. When she was given the opportunity to escape to the west she knew that their family would live a better life but her fear took over. She was too scared of getting caught and losing her children that she decided to stay in the East. This shows how her children were her top priority. She was so protective of them that she wouldn’t risk anything to go west.
Christiane’s decision to stay in the east soon intertwined her role as a mother and citizen of the GDR. In the East she quickly immersed herself in the socialist party and worked to help anyone who needed it. Since she couldn’t go west she strived for socialist change so her children could live the best life possible. I think this shows her sympathetic side. She felt guilty for not bringing her children west so instead she aimed to improve life in the east. The fact that the party was going to demote her to due her idealism shows how her devotion became a little odd. She was so caught up in the ideas of what socialism could be and its positives that she didn’t really see it for what it was. I think that she was so upset over not going west with her husband that she convinced herself that the east was wonderful. When she is in the hospital and Alex shows her a video of what supposedly happened after the wall fell she is completely filled with joy which furthers her idealism. The events he made up are what she had strived for and believed in all those years but are not what happened. The GDR was not what she believed in but instead something that she convinced herself of.
“Good Bye Lenin!” was a very good movie that helped me to see how different the east and west had become and what struggles the people faced. I think the character of Christiane also helped to show the troubles of socialism faced during the time.
I enjoyed Goodbye Lenin very much, and learned much about the distinction(s) between the GDR and West Germany.
I would characterize Alex's mother as someone who had adapted to her unique situation very well. Most citizens would either be content or be against the form of government that governed them from the beginning. However, she only turned to socialism and became a good citizen after her husband had crossed over to the West. Her roles as a mother and a devotee to the GDR are very intertwined, as she wanted the quality of the state to improve so that (one of the reasons is) her childrens' lives might improve in the future. She may have also done what she did because she realized that by turning to socialism and becoming a prime socialist, her family and her children would not be harassed because of her husband's treasonous acts against the state. That is why in the end of the movie, when the news reel shows the two Germanys' re-united, she is happy that some of her work paid off in making more people want to come to the GDR. Her affection to the GDR makes her seem sympathetic to the country.
As a mother in "Goodbye Lenin", I would characterize Christiane as a loving and determined mother, who wishes all the best for her children. Although she did slip into a depression, when she recovered she became the strong willed and indpendent imdividual who cared greatly for her children. As a citizen of the GDR Cristiane was a strong believer in her country and held hope that it could reform and become an even better place. Her son creates the GDR his mother desired when she was bed-riden from a heart attack and the happiness she expresses, verbally and through her facial expressions express how her hope for her country came true and how she was a proud and escatic citizen having been able to expreience thsi turn of events. The manner in which these two roles intertwined her and her children are as follows. When she awoke from her coma, her children did their uttmost to keep her from getting too excited (which could have given her another deadly heart attack). But in order to keep the excitment down they had to create a fictional world in which their mom could recover in. This was because during the 8 months Christiane laid in a coma she missed the fall of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany, and the beginnings of capitalism in the country. If she were to have found out about these happenings in her vulnerable state she may have died. Thus the need Alex felt to create a fictional GDR for his mother. As a result, Alex and his friends do their uttmost to keep Christiane oblivious to the facts of the world, first by remodeling her bedroom to the way it should have looked during the reign of the GDR, then by providing her with fake TV broadcasts that help explain to the "the world's happenings", and finally creating in Christiane's mind the Germany she had wished for. Thus is how the role of modle citizen and mother became intertwined. In my opinion, Chrisiane's affection and hope for the GDR is quite admirable and not at all strange. Even though she knew of the horrors and the truths of her country, she still retained hope that the proper reform for a better nation would happen. I only feel that she sould have discovered the truth of what happened during her coma rather than her son creating a world that did not exist for her.
The most blaring sarcasm appeared when Alex is searching for East German foods that had been replaced by capitalist products. For example, he was rummaging around dumpsters for a specific pickle jar (spreewald pickles) and an old man exclaims, "That's how far they've driven us already...that we have to go fishing in the garbage" and waves his hands around and mumbles some more. Though funny to watch, this was a personal reality Alex had to fave in order to keep his fictional world alive.
A second sarcastic remark was when Alex is trying to convince his sister that bringing his their mother home would be fine and then telling her to stick to his fictional world plan by saying, "Enjoy your meal and thank you for choosing Burger King."
An ironic happening is when Christiane tells her chilren that she hid the money that they need to convert to marks, but she forgot where. The irony occurs when she finally remembers but it's past the exhcange date and so the money is worthless. I found this ironic because her children were trying their hardest to provide for her and in the end her money becomes worthless because of her lapse in memory. This is an example of the economis realities facing East Germans.
Alex’s mother, Christiane, is a kind, honest, and devoted mother and citizen of the GDR. Christiane was constantly participating in social and political events that would benefit her country. She was a teacher and devoted her time in helping raise a generation of devoted socialist citizens. Christiane had even received praise for her accomplishments by the government. However, through all the work she had done for her country, she also made sure to spend time with her children. She watched over her kids and protected them to the best of her ability. When her husband escaped to the west, rather then following him, she felt it best and safer to stay in East Berlin with her children.
Christiane’s affection and devotion to the GDR makes her seem sympathetic. During the early years of her marriage, her husband had been discussing with her the possibility of defecting to the west. He did not agree with the politics and felt uncomfortable living in the socialist state. She had wanted to keep the family together by defecting with him, but later realized the dangers of this action. To protect her children, she stayed in East Berlin. After his defection, she committed herself to the socialist state. She participated in many youth activities and was a ‘social crusader’ and activist for the concerns of the common people and tiny injustices. It is clear that her deep involvement with the socialist government was a result of her husband’s defection. In order to keep the family bond tight, she wanted to involve herself in other activities that would keep her mind active. As a result, her attitude had changed from being sad and depressed, to active in the community. She was happier, and thus the children were happier. A parent could change the whole mood of the house just by the change in their attitude. This is what Christiane was trying to accomplish. Her children were proud of their mother and believed her to be a hero. The impact of their father’s defection was slowly decreasing. Therefore, it is clear that her involvement with the GDR was only out of sympathy for her kids. This was the only healthy way for her and her children to continue their lives.
In "Goodbye Lenin", Christiane has the role of both a mother and an active citizen of the GDR. However, these roles sometimes were intertwined. After she came home and was mentally sound again, Christiane was a loving mother that truly wished the best for her children. At the same time, she was devoted to the GDR. Sometimes she promoted the success of East Germany through her children, such as teaching them patriotic songs and keeping the hopes for East Germany very present in their household. Watching the movie, it almost felt to me sometimes like Christiane was just as devoted to East Germany as she was to her children, the people who are supposed to mean the most in the world to you.
Christiane's affection for the GDR made her seem both sympathetic and odd. Christiane is sympathetic because when she wakes up from her coma, everything that she had worked for and was devoted to had disappeared. In addition, I think that her devoted to the GDR stemmed from the desertion of her husband. She used her work as a way to escape from her pain, and because of this, I felt bad for her. However, her extreme devotion also made her seem a little odd. Christiane was not just patriotic-her work for the GDR consumed her entire life. It seemed to almost get to the point where her affection was obsessive. Because of these factors, she comes across as both a sympathetic and odd character.
I would characterize Christiane as a mother who is trying to fulfill her obligations to her children as a mother and her obligations to her country as a party member. However some of those obligations supercede the other where they should not. For instance when she chose to not follow her husband into the west and instead stay in the east she put the party before her children where she should not have. She chose to subjugate her children to a life of rationing and second rate living to make her party happy. In this instance she can be seen as a bad mother because she did not do what was best for her children only what was best for the party. This blind obedience can make her sympathetic because it shows how alone she truly feels with her husband not being able to be with her so she then tries to fill the void with devotion to her fatherland.
I think Christiane was a good mother as well as a good citizen of the GDR. She put an enormous amount of effort into both, because I think to her, especially after her husband escaped to the West, the two went hand in hand. To her it was important to support the party, and a she thought a good mother would teach her kids to do the same. In the pictures and videos of Alex’s childhood, even after his dad left, Christiane and the kids were always smiling. I think that shows that she was a very good mother. Also between the children’s participation in the youth group and Alex’s excitement when he saw his mother receiving an award from the government the audience can see that she was devoted to the GDR and encouraged the same sort of loyalty in her children. This showed that she was also a good citizen of the GDR.
I think Christiane is sympathetic rather than odd. To some her extreme devotion to the party may come off as odd, but I think it was both a reaction to her husband’s absence and a way to protect her children. When her husband escaped to the West she was originally supposed to go with him, but after he left she began thinking about what could go wrong and lost her nerve. The absence of her husband may have created a void in her life, and she tried to fill that by throwing herself into the work of the party. I also think that she was trying to make up for depriving her kids of a better life in the West, by trying to make things better for them where they were by getting involved in the party. She also remembered how hard life was for her husband, who was not a party member. I think she wanted to make sure her children never hand to go through what he went through, so she taught them from a young age that being involved with the party was the right thing to do. So when you look at the reasons behind Christiane’s actions she is most definitely not odd.
I would characterize Alex’s mother in “GoodBye Lenin” as a normal protective mother who wanted the best for her children. In being a part of the German Democratic Republic I believe she was so loyal out of fear. She did this because she could not bare anything to happen to the kids she loved so dearly. You can infer this because of the beginning of the movie when Alex partakes in a riot. When the mother sees him participating in the chaos and the danger involved with this she falls, has a heart attack and goes into a comma for eight months. And for these reasons it defiantly makes her seem more sympathetic than odd. Also this can be seen when Christine reveals to her kids that her husband never left them for another woman. He had wanted them to come over to West Germany as he did. While the environment was probably better across the border she obviously did not want to risk putting herself and her precious children in danger. This distinctly puts Christine in the category of sympathetic more than odd because of what she would do in order to protect them and keep them safe. She obviously loved her husband very much and never stopped living him which adds to how much she would sacrifice for the security of her children.
I believe that after she could not follow her husband into West Germany, the party became her new "husband" and hoped that it would become sort of a "father-figure" for her children. I think that this is why she was so into socialism. She obviously loved her children very much, because she wouldnt risk capture in the process or escaping to the west, which would have probably resulted in the loss of her children. I think maybe she tried to make East Germany a better place where he children could have a better life, so in a way make it more like the west. I believe she is more sympathetic then odd because of this, but she is also odd just because of how socialism became such a big part of her life.
I believed that the director used irony very efficiently in this movie. One example was that all of the money that the mother saved throughout her life was hiden in the drawers that her children had thrown out when the wall came down. This caused them to miss the currency exchange deadline by just one day. I also enjoyed watching Alex run around trying to find East German food, even though all of hte stores had westernized their inventory, so he ended up going through the garbage for old jars and putting the food in the old jars.
Alex’s mother, Christiane has a strong presence in “Goodbye, Lenin”. As a mother I would characterize her as loving, caring, and protective of her children. She even had a heart attack when she saw her son being arrested during an anti government protest. Also, after Alex’s father left them for West Germany his mother became a passionate supporter of the socialist party in East Germany.
There two roles are intertwined for her and her children in many ways. For example, she wanted to find refuge in West Germany with her husband and children however she was afraid of the fact that if she got caught her children would be taken away. This fear caused her to become a firm supporter of the socialist government in East Germany. Her strong ties with the socialist party allowed her children to be well off. Also, her strong devotion can be seen after she wakes up from her coma. For instance, after she woke up she had to be kept under much care because any sort of excitement could trigger another heart attack, a heart attack she couldn’t outlive. Thus, the only way her children could bring her home if she never finds out that West and East Germany have become united. This makes Alex and his sister transform their entire house back to the way it used to be prior to unification. Therefore, these two roles have been greatly portrayed by the mother.
In the movie, goodbye lenin, christiane, alexs' mother, acted as a mother and a strong member of the GDR in several different ways. She had a lot of different beliefs all around her and she only said what she did because she wanted to make it a better place for her and her children. she listened to the news consistently and it took over her life, she couldnt live without it and she liked to sympathize with it. which is how it entertwines with her life as a mother and a member of the GDR. this is because she was so caught up in the GDR and it was such a big and drastic part of her life that she couldnt live without it. its all she thought about and if it was destroyed, she wouldnt know what else to do. so in that case, considering that information, her children, ari and alex tried their very best to keep all the change a secret because they knew how hard their mother would take that news if she found out. it could honestly kill her and worst of all put her in a coma and/ or make her more sick all of which would make her suffer severely. so as a result the kids were put in torture by taking care and watching over her consistently all the time. it controlled their lives, their friends, the world almost. they had to lie straight to the face of their mother which most people know is hard and hurts to do.
her affection to the GDR makes her both sympathetic AND odd. anyone obsessed with an organization to that extreme has it control their lives which makes it upsetting to look at someone like that and also it makes that person odd. it really does. becasue life has so much to offer and to see someone all over one solid foundation is sad odd and very sympathetic.
It seemed that Christiane really changed after the incident with her husband in the beginning of the movie. After that break she became very active in the community and also extremely political and involved in the communist party. As we see her role increase as a socialist teacher and leader of various youth groups we also see her role as a mother change. She includes her children in many of the activities she is involved in. This can be seen in the seen when she is teacher the chorus of children how to sing the GDR anthem. Christiane really raises her children not only as her mother but also as a major socialist party contributor.
Christiane’s devotion for the GDR is very odd. It seemed that when she wrote her petitions she took huge amounts of joy in finding the smallest mistakes and then sarcastically ragged on the Communist party leaders for making them. This made her seem like a socialist fanatic, to an extent. Also it seemed different in the way she made her birthday speech; she made it sound very communal and seemed to praise the greatness of the socialist party. It all sounded very foreign to what our western traditions are.
I would actually consider Christiane to be a bad mother, which had good intentions. Her decision not to follow her husband across the border wasn’t necessarily a bad parenting move. The father made his way across the border and asked her and the children to follow him. She knew her children would benefit from the west but didn’t go through with it because she was afraid of getting caught. If she was caught her children would be taken away from her and her life as a respectable member of the GDR would be ruined. So her own weaknesses held her and her children back from a potentially better life, and she chose the safer road. After making her decision, however, she regretted it. She fell into a deep depression and never told her children the truth until years later. Not only did she lie to her children, but she also hid the letters her husband wrote to them. I also feel that once she made her decision she always tried to convince herself that she made a good move. She did this by supporting East Germany enthusiastically. For example, she loved listening to the children sing about East Germany because it enforced the concept that the East was great and was the best choice to raise her children. This shows the complex connection her motherhood had with the state. While it is true she was a supporter of the state in every aspect, she only did this to convince herself she made a good decision in not going to the West with her husband. The fact that she regrets her decision and has to try and convince herself that she made the right move in order to stay sane makes her a sympathetic character.
Christiane is both an extremely caring mother and dedicated citizen of the GDR. In both cases it seems as if she is overcompensating for the absence of Alex and Ariane’s father. The understanding of her character is enhanced when the truth comes out about his real disappearance. He didn’t leave them; she just chose to not follow him. She feels as though it is her fault that her children do not have their father and she let them think that he just deserted them as well. Thus she tried to make up for it by being filling the role of two parents, so to lessen the feeling of loss and abandonment her children had about their father. She was involved in their lives in every way as their teacher, parent, mentor, and friend.
Her role in the GDR was also overcompensation for her children’s sake. Now that her husband had defected there would be a target on them. Thus she became the model socialists. She taught and worked for the betterment of society all while working for the party and the cause, even though her idealism caused her to eventually become removed from her teaching position. But she wanted to show as much as she could because they supported the GDR and she didn’t want her children to have to suffer and be labeled as though they may be potential defectors or traitors. She again hoped that they would have the best life possible, thus she wanted to be the best socialist supporter she could be as well as make their country the best it could be as well. It must have been very difficult to always wonder how their lives would have been different in the West. She probably felt as if maybe they would have been better off in the long run; there were more opportunities out there. She must have wondered what her children could have become or if they would have had a better life there. So her way of dealing with this was to try and make the GDR the best place that it could be. Though small her work were done to better East Germany and better the life of her family.
Christiane’s faith and devotion to the republic is ultimately due to the fact that she has to believe in it, she has to prove to herself that she made the right choice to stay with her family. She has to make sure that her children had a good life, one that was better than if they attempted to escape to the West. Her devotion to the GDR makes her seem sympathetic in many ways. She was faced with an extremely hard decision, she could risk trying to leave and if they were lucky and succeeded they would be ultimately be better off or she could stay and try to make the best of their life where they were. She chose to stay be optimistic about their future. One must feel for her situation and be a bit amazed by how strong she was to at least keep going forward and try to make the best life she could for herself and her children.
The character of Christiane in the movie Goodbye Lenin is an avid idealist and advocate of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. No matter the circumstances, she has devoted her life to the cause and the socialist ideologies. As a result, I would have to say that Christiane is a very substantial citizen of the GDR. She aids them in times of need, stays loyal to their decisions, and is disturbed at anyone or anything that says otherwise. Due to her significant allegiance to the GDR, she is overwhelmed with her sons’ actions when she witnesses him marching in an anti-Berlin Wall demonstration. However, some thought she was in fact too idealistic. For instance, that is the reason she was bumped down in position at work. Also, when her children ask for her to sign over the papers for her money, she reveals that she would never keep her money in the bank and instead hid it somewhere in the house. Despite her faithfulness to the Socialist cause, she didn’t trust the East German Banks. Furthermore, she confesses to her children that she had originally planned to escape to West Berlin with them to meet up with their father. Nonetheless, she backed away from that idea because she was afraid of how the authorities may react. In the end, despite her support and devotion to the GDR, I believe she only chose to do so out of fear rather than personal opinion.
In terms of her role as a mother, she did the best she could in trying to do what was best for her children. When hiding the letters from their father, Christiane in hopes of keeping them safe and create a life that is manageable. Nonetheless, I feel it was wrong of her to prevent their father from being involved in their lives. While it may have caused some issues in their respect for their nation, it caused significant heartache and sorrow which I believe is worse. When deciding to hide the letters, Christiane’s role as a mother and citizen of the GDR intertwined by staying faithful to the east and doing what she felt was best for the lives of her children.
I think her extreme affection to the GDR made Christiane seem quite odd. While it was not out of the ordinary to be very loyal and devoted to a cause, she took it to a new extreme. The fact that such an action could cause her to have a heart attack proved that she was a bit too drastic in her beliefs.
Christiane is a devoted mother and citizen of the GDR; however, despite her outward appearances being passionately involved with both, her sincerity lay mostly with her role as a mother. In many ways, despite her seemingly blind optimism and hope for the socialist cause, her actions are all a result of her love for her children; her party loyalty was due mostly to the fear of retribution from the party had she escaped to the West, despite her dreams of a better life there. Her devotion to the GDR, therefore, although seemingly at odds with her character at first, given her depression after her husband "left" her, proves to be sympathetic to her character and perhaps even a symbol of her courage to be there for her children in a troubled time. Ultimately, this at first unquestionably sincere love for her fatherland becomes the least sincere thing about her character, as she confesses to Alex and Ariane that she had plans to escape and failed to follow through.
Throughout the movie, the director uses sarcasm and especially dramatic irony through the unique positions of Alex and Christiane as Alex strives to conceal the fall of the Berlin Wall from his mother despite the rapid changes occurring across East and West Germany. Such memorable scenes as the explanation for the Coca-Cola Banner, the massive influx of cars from the West, and the botched news reports and supposed presidency of Sigmund Jahn illustrate the extent to which Alex strove to conceal the deceit from his mother; however, the ultimate irony is that despite Alex's attempts to protect his mother from the inevitable truth of the integration of East and West Germany, his mother had been hoping for the same for many years now, since his father had left them. Again, the director is effective in confronting the choices that the characters, especially Christiane, had to make given their socioeconomic and political situations in a socialist Germany - the choice that she chose, to remain in the East, reveals much about both her shortcomings (perhaps temporary cowardice) and her strengths (her devotion to her children's safety) in her character, enhancing the sympathy that the audience feels for her.
How would you characterize Alex's mother, Christiane, as a mother and a citizen of the GDR? In what ways are these two roles intertwined for her and her children? Does her affection for and devotion to the GDR make her seem sympathetic or odd (or both)?
Christiane can be perceived as both figures, a mother and a citizen of the German Democratic Republic. Her life is defined by her devotion to the party; she refuses to believe that the communist ideology may be flawed. Christiane is too ideal, even her former employer (the principal) has noted. In a sense, her devotion to the party is a surrogate for her husband. Christiane thinks of the party as a way of remembering her husband, who has been an unfortunate victim of it. Throughout the movie, Christiane is willing to participate in every party activity, which may include organizing the Free German Youth, attending meetings, and providing shelter for the West German refugees. Even when it is clear that the party has failed, Christiane still firmly believes in the past--a time when the GDR dominated country. She is willing to immerse herself in her son, Alexander's made-up world. Christiane still believes in the power of the GDR even until her death, even after when Lara (the nurse, Alexander's girlfriend) has revealed the truth to her. Her devotion to the party is closely associated with her role as the mother to Alex and Ariane. She has became a loyal party member because of her children. Many years earlier, Christiane thought about escaping to the west, but because the safety of her children, she chose to stay in East Germany. Not only did she stay, she also became a model party member. Later in the film, Christiane reveals to the children that she has stayed behind because of the safety of her children. Because of her motherly affection, she was separated from her beloved Robert. Moreover, Christiane becomes a model citizen because she is always constantly under the fear that the state may take away her children; her role as a mother is intertwined with her membership in the party. Thus her devotion/affection for the GDR makes her seem sympathetic.
In Good Bye Lenin, Christiane was a caring mother and a unique GDR member. Initially, she participated in the GDR out of pure necessity. Although she longed to flee to the west the way her husband did, she played the role of a loyal party member in order to provide for her children and perhaps build a better future for them. This initially, is a very sympathetic portrayal. The sympathetic side to Christiane turns to oddness with her coma. After recovering her devotion to the socialist party becomes in truth closer to the masquerade that she carried on in earlier years. Perhaps, in immersing herself in the socialist party, both for the sake of her children, and to help her forget her husband, she began to brainwash herself to truly believe in her party. Her heart attack may have acted as a catalyst to complete the circle of self-reeducation.
In "Goodbye Lenin, Alex's mother Christiane proved to be a woman of great composition and dedication, both to her family and to her party (GDR). Though her dedication to the GDR was great, she held her family to a higher value. When the opportunity presented itself for her to escape away to a better life in the west, her fear of getting caught and ultimately loosing her family greatly influenced her to do otherwise and stay in the East. This is a strong example of her dedication to family, and to holding that family together through rough times.
Her role as a mother and citizen of the GDR soon became intertwined after her decision to stay in the East. In the East she worked quite extensively for the socialist party. She sought socialist change with the belief that it would bring a better life for her family. As a result of her feeling guilty for having not taking the chance at a better life in the West, Christiane felt it was her responsibility and obligation to improve the life for her family at home in the East. What makes her devotion to the party seemingly unusually was in the partys demoting her due to her idealistic sense of society. In a sense she became disillusioned greatly with what socialism was at the root. Despite the downfalls of the socialist socket she was aware of, her visions of hope were over powering.
The director is very effective in his use of literary devices to address the social,political and economic realities that East Germans face in 1989-1990. One example of irony is in the mother having hidden her life savings in drawers that her children had thrown out when the wall was brought down. (They ended up missing the exchange deadline for currency by a day). An example of irony/sarcasm that the director also uses is Alex having to run around to find food that was not "westernized". Often this required him to search through garbage, etc. and put new food in these old jars/bottles. Overall a very effective movie.
Connor Fitzgerald
Mr. Kirby
Euro History
June,13th,2010
Alex's mother Christiane was a loving compassionate mother, as well as a dedicated member of the GDR. These roles did intertwine, when Christiane was home and was mentally sound she was a loving mother only wanted what was best for her children. Although at the same time she was fanatically devoted to the GDR. Christiane brought her children into the achievement of East Germany. She thought them patriotic songs and kept moral high for East Germany in the household. I feel that Christiane devotion to the GRD was comparable to her love for her children. I think that a lot of Christiane devotion to the GDR is to spite her husband, and fill a void in her life.
Christiane's devotion to GDR made her seem odd. It seemed that she was at the point where her devotion was fanatical. Because of this factor, she seemed to be an odd character.
The director used irony like when was when the mother finally where she had her life savings. Although when the children went to exchange the money they were a day late they missed the deadline. Overall I thought this movie was great, and would recommend it to others.
1.) Christiane was a protective and somewhat overbearing mother and party member. Her dual roles, citizen and parent, were completely intertwined as they both took on the same characteristics. She was a staunch character who was totally absolute in her ideals, whether those ideals were political or maternal.
I found it ironic that from the earliest parts of the film Alex lied, or at least omitted full truth, from Christiane for her sake. At the beginning of the film Alex chooses not to tell his mother about his anti-GDR political views for obvious reasons, and after her coma he resolves to keep her in the dark for her life’s sake. Alex’s actions, which were done for the sake of his mother, contrasted with her personality since she was such a strong, idealistic individual. The fact that she could not handle the truth stood out since she was notable for resolute politics and motherhood, yet could not handle the political views and actions of her own children.
I felt sympathy for her because of her situation and because all of the other characters lied to her (even though it was for her health), but I did not really sympathize with her. I did not find myself feeling any sympathy because of her politics, but I don’t think that the filmmakers had any intention of making the audience relate to GDR supporters. Instead, the audience was supposed to relate to Christiane’s children as they dealt with an impossible situation and as they witnessed the fall of East Germany. If Christiane was a real person she would be someone to feel sympathy for, but not sympathize with, at least for the overwhelming majority of viewers.
In "Goodbye Lenin!" Christiane is characterized as a family orientated woman who places her children as her first priority. Christiane had wanted to move to the East said of Germanydi with her husband, but her fear of loosing her children caused her to remain on the West side. While living ion the west side Christiane devoted her time in Socialism as well as improving socialism. She became loyal to the GDR to help give her children a better future. As she continued under the government of the GDR, Christiane became loyal and a strong supporter of socialism. Her sympathy for the GDR was a result of her husbands defection and her want to keep the family together. By involving herself in the community she was able to pull the remaining family together and create a stable environment.
I found several parts of the film entertaining yet they still showed the realities of East Germany. The East side experienced great changes in the economy as well its products. At one point, Alex turns to digging through trash for old pickle jars because of the new western food that replaced their original snacks. This shows that even small things, such as food products dramatically changed. Another scene I found entertaining was when the coca-cola sign was being hung from a building outside Christiane's window. It was hilarious to watch Alex explain to his mother the "reason" for the sign and how it was really a socialist idea. The sign showed the Western movement in advertisement and products. I found the money issue ironic in the movie. Christiane had finally remembered where she hid her money, but by the time Alex brought the life savings to the bank, the bank denied the money explaining that they had missed the due date. This shows that Germans experienced great change in economics and currency and were exposed to the risk of losing everything if they missed one date.
I enjoyed this film. "Goodbye Lenin!" was entertaining and held some historical accuracy.
The one word I would use to describe Christiane in "Goodbye Lenin" is "devoted." Devoted to her family, and devoted to her party. A single mother, Christiane works very hard to ensure a better future for her children. This in turn allows her children to develop a very strong love for her. When she planned to leave for West Germany, she couldn't do it; she was afraid. Afraid that they would take her children away from her. Her children were clearly incredibly important to her, and she could not bear losing them. She is also very devoted to her party. She embraced Socialism and made the best of it, working to better her country. Her devotion may not have been absolute; it is quite likely she wished to be in West Germany and experience the wonders of Capitalism. But she decides to make do with where she is, because she cannot risk losing her children.
I personally would characterize Alex’s mother as a great mother like all our mothers and as a member of the GDR who joined the GDR to show that she did not support her husband so that she would not be bothered by the police or anything. Both these roles are totally intertwined as she joined the GDR when she failed to escape to the West with her husband. Her failure was totally out of fear that if caught her children would be taken away from her and she would live the rest of her life in a troublesome environment as well. She definitely understood the clear difference between the East and the West and the benefits of living in the West. However, when she failed it took her time to recover and so she was in the hospital when understood that she has made a great mistake as she lost her husband; therefore, accepted her circumstances. I think this is the reason why she also showed great devotion to GDR but did not really like it from the inside of heart. If she did not with a husband who escaped to the West she would always have been under interrogation or some kind of a police investigation. Therefore, her great devotion to the socialist party got her relief from all these troubles and she was able to live a nice life in the East. The fact that she wanted to forget and accept and its need might have made her devoted to GDR but later she got used to it and simply thought that it was what she wanted. This made her go to coma as she never thought Alex who was raised in the East would ever like Western ideas especially when she is so much devoted to the party. Her devotion to GDR was necessary for her as she failed to stay. I do not find it odd as she did what was necessary in order have a nice life in the East since she has already made a mistake by not fleeing to the West in the first place. And for the all the reasons given above her devotion is sympathetic as she had no other alternative after making a great mistake.
Christiane is certainly one of the more interesting characters in recent cinematic history. While seeming on all accounts to be extraordinarily odd, it is difficult characterize her as anything other than strong-willed, well-intended, and loving. Her strong allegiance to the party is in fact a strenuous effort to secure a safe and promising future for her children, whom she loves dearly. Had she not been so outwardly aligned with party views, there perhaps was a chance that she would not be able to care for her children. Furthermore, it is doubtful that she truly believed East Germany to be superior to West Germany. However, she was forced to live under the Socialist regime and thus made the best of the few opportunities that were presented her. I would consider Christiane to be extremely sympathetic.
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I think Alex's mother was a little bit of both because she was a wonderful and caring mother to her children, but at the same time, she was a dedicated citizen to the GDR. She was a good mother because she didn't escape to the West because she didn't want to lose her children. Even though escaping to the West would mean a better life, she didn't take that opportunity because she wanted to make sure her children would be safe. She was a dedicated teacher also, who received recognition for that, but still was a dedicated mother who was always there for her children. Since she was such a good mother, when she had a heart attack and went into a coma, her children were always there for her, like she was there for them.
She was also a good citizen of the GDR because she wanted the boys to sing a patriotic song for her on her birthday, and didn't want to see the fall of East Germany. Her children made sure that she didn't find out that the Berlin wall fell because that would cause her too much distress, and she could have more medical problems from that.
The roles of being a mother and being a good citizen of the GDR intertwined when Christiane returned home after her coma. She was still the same caring mother to her children because she was so grateful for all they did and didn't think they should be doing this much for her. During this time, Alex wanted to keep it a secret that the Berlin Wall fell because his mother would have been distressed over that, which would not be good for her health.
I don't think it was that odd that she was so devoted to the GDR because that was her homeland and what she was used to, so she was making the best of it, so she was more sympathetic then odd. She could have gone off to West Germany, but she wanted to keep her kids safe, so she stayed in East Germany where she became a loyal citizen.
Mr. Kirby I was not here when we started watching the movie, then had to take a make up test the next day, and the last day you had watched the film was senior day on the walk. Thank you. Im still trying to participate.
Christiane Kerner comes across as both a loving mother and faithful Party member, though after watching the entire movie, it appears that her loyalty to the Party should very much be in question. She loves her children enough to consider sending them to the West with her and their father so that they can be treated better than in the East. In fact, she loves them so much that when it becomes clear that the Party may take them away as punishment for their father’s leaving, she lies to continue to care for them. Her affection for the GDR comes across as something that also indicates her affection for her children: she aims to make the Party, and therefore the GDR, a better environment for her to raise her children. In this way, her love for the Party makes sense as an act both sympathetic and loving.
In Goodbye Lenin, Christiane was more a mother than a Socialist, despite what may have been interpreted by anyone who saw how avid a Socialist she was. Her socialism was really just a ploy, to protect her children, for she was not allowed to defect with her husband carrying her two children.
Christiane's love and devotion for the GDR are directly intertwined with her children, although I don't feel that they necessarily lend themselves to her being sympathetic or odd. It seemed that the more avid a member of the GDR she was, the more it was that she was putting up an impenetrable facade. It would not have been easily guessed that at one point she was trying to defect; rather, it seemed she would have been one cajoling people into not defecting from the GDR and East Germany.
In respects to motherhood, Christiane was a very good mother. She faltered at nothing, even abandoning her husband and being among the most avid GDR citizens, to ensure her children had a fairly affluent life to live as well as one filled with joy, which was dissimilar to a majority of the GDR. She was the reason they remained on the upper crust, and never dropped below.
In the movie Goodbye Lenin, Christiane who is Alex’s mother is portrayed as a very dedicated and commendable mother and citizen of the GDR. It is apparent throughout the whole of the movie that she wanted the very best for her children and had good intensions. She believed in the socialist change all the way because she wanted to make East Germany a better place for her and her children to live. Even though her actions are a bit odd or skewed, she just wanted the best for her family. Her role as mother is very much connected with her role as citizen of the GDR. She raised her children and loved them, just as she had faith for her home and country. She wanted both to grow and thrive. However, a cause for her motives could also be from her husband moving to the West. Since she was heartbroken and stricken with grief she could find no joy but that from caring for her home and her family. That was all that she could do. Obviously she couldn’t move out of Germany because of her divorced husband and the hatred she had for him. Her affection and devotion makes her seem yes sympathetic and odd. But seeing her life story and what she had to deal with made it understandable. She had been through so much pain and her actions only seemed appropriate. She had to raise two children by herself and at the same time be in grief from her husband leaving her. This made her maybe more caring toward East Germany, because she wanted to show everybody that she could make her home successful and worth living in.
Christiane is in some ways a victim and in some ways, she is at fault. She is a victim of her own fears and inhibitions, as well as the oppressive government that surrounds her and the devotion she has to her children. However, she is also at fault; having chosen not to follow her husband to the Capitalist West, she lies to her children about his disappearance and delves further into her Socialist government as some sort of coping mechanism. Ultimately, Christiane is human; she is flawed and she is conflicted and she has her demons.
The facts that Christiane is both a member and a citizen of the GDR are intertwined throughout the book. It is because of her party loyalty that she goes into shock and experiences a heart attack after seeing her son Alex participation in an anti-Socialist march. After she awakes from her coma, it is her party loyalty that causes her devoted children to attempt to shield her from what had happened within less than a year of her long sleep. It would have upset her to the brink of death if Christiane was made aware of the new Capitalist developments in East Germany, and it is their love and caring for her that causes them to create an elaborate charade in order to maintain her happiness.
Ultimately, you can’t help but be sympathetic to Christiane. She is a flawed human, like the rest of us, and by the end of the film, it is clear that she only acts with the best interests of her children in mind. Just because this resulted in the alienation of their father doesn’t mean that she was antagonistic about it. We can relate to her distress and fear, and that’s why we find it hard to hate her.
I would characterize Alex’s mother as a loyal, extremely active member of society who did her best to raise two children fatherless. However, in the movie she is primarily portrayed as a mother. In Alex’s eyes, his mother’s party loyalty takes a back seat to motherly duties. For instance, although her loyalty is portrayed in various scenes of the movie, such as dictating letters or receiving awards for citizenship, Alex mainly comments on her dedication to raising her children and teaching choir after the return from the mental hospital. Her role as first a mother, then a party member certainly affected the dynamic between her and her children. For example, her party loyalty influenced her decision to stay in the East when her husband left for West Germany. This had a huge effect on her children’s lives; because of their mother’s affinity for East German ideals, both Alex and Adriane were forced to spend their childhood growing up in oppressive East Germany. Additionally, Christine’s activism in the GDR was an influence on Alex. This is seen when someone criticizes Christine, saying that she merely complains; in response, Alex defends his mother, saying that she actually “constructively criticizes” the GDR in hopes of creating a better society. Although this comment was meant to interpreted as sarcastic by the director, it also shows Alex’s respect for his mother’s activism.
I would say that Christine’s devotion to the GDR and its ideals makes her a sympathetic character. Her unawareness of the events of post-1989 Germany serve to portray her as a relic of the past. Although one may not agree with her ideology, it is hard not to sympathize with a character who has unknowingly lost everything he or she has ever worked for. Watching Christine from her bed meekly ask for a special type of pickle evokes sympathy; from her bedroom, she merely wants the comforts of a world which no longer exists to anyone but her. In her weak state, it is clear that her family was the most important thing to her and that the GDR came second. Although she was shocked when Cocoa-Cola was brought into Berlin, she was much more excited when she saw her grandchild take her first steps. In her fantasy land, we see Christine for who she really is: one who was merely trying to make a better life for her children any way she could. And with this, we can all sympathize.
In the movie “Goodbye Lenin!”, Christiane is rendered as both loving and strong. She was zealous a German Democratic Republic member yet a protective mother who wanted the best for her children. As a mother, she always put her children Alex and Ariane before her. In the movie, it is apparent that they were her top priority. I feel Christiane’s husband didn’t leave them. Simply when she was given the opportunity to escape to East Germany, she was overcome with fear and that prevented her from fleeing to the West. At the same time, she was aware her family would live a better life, but she was terribly worried and scared to the point, of getting caught and losing her children that she decided to stay in East Germany. It was very clear that Christiane was a devoted affiliate of the GDR. She was so caught up in the GDR that it was a big part of her life. In this way, the two roles were intertwined for her and her children. The GDR and her children were both important to her. And because she decided to stay in the East, it also showed how loyal she was. When she awoke from the coma after eight months and missing various events that had occurred, she probably liked the familiarity of the GDR that Alex and Ariane had created for her, which made her appear sympathetic and odd. The reason being is that everything she had worked for and was devoted to was not present anymore. In a way, I feel her passion in the GDR was a way to get away from thinking about the loss of her husband to the West and in the end how she admitted she actually really wanted to be with him.
I feel like Alex’s mother was less a good citizen of the GDR and more a very good mother. Her attachment to the GDR was less of an actual ideological agreement and more of a reaction to her husband leaving. She attached to the GDR most superficially because her husband was opposed to it, as he left from East Germany, and she is revolting against him by becoming devoted to it. The main reason she attached to it however was because it was a strong force that could in almost all ways somewhat replace her husband and she thought that it was strong enough that it would never fail, like her husband did. It obviously did fail, which becomes the main plot of the movie, but for a long time this seemed impossible. She is a mother by being a citizen; she is using the country as a stand in father for her children. This makes her very sympathetic, as she has to resort to an oppressive regime to support her children and her emotional needs. There is nothing you can do but feel bad for her.
In the movie "Goodbye Lenin," I believe that Christiane's roles as a mother and a citizen of the GDR were completely intertwined. In fact, I believe that it was her maternal instinct to protect her children that led Christiane to devote herself to the GDR. She truly wanted to go to the West with her husband, but the risk that was involved with escaping was too great; as a mother, the thought of losing her children was unbearable, and if that meant giving up her desire to be with her husband to make sure her kids were protected, she was willing to make that sacrifice. This decision caused Christiane to feel very depressed and brought about feelings of resentment. I believe she channeled these feelings into becoming a passionate, loyal, and active GDR member. Because she did not turn to the party for ideologies, rather to make a purpose for herself and distract her from her emotions, I do not believe that she truly believed in the GDR. THus, I see her as a woman who sacrificed for her children, and the fact that she devoted her life to something I doubt she truly or vehemently believed in certainly evokes a feeling of sympathy in me.
I think that Christiane was a loving mother who wanted the best for her children and the best for her country and party. Unfortunately, I think that she allowed the needs of the party and the country to be prioritized over the needs of her own children. I think that it was that was the reason why her children didn't achieve successful lives and were so afraid for their mother to see the new world without her party. I think her extreme love of the party was odd, especially considering the fact that the government she supported was the reason her husband left her and her children. She put incredible amounts of time and effort into a cause that I feel she should had a completely reasonable motive for hating. However, because of her frailty and her strong desire to do what she believes is right for her children I do also see her in a sympathetic light. She felt that giving her opinions to people and giving huge support to the party would make a better world for her children to live in. I feel bad that she was never told that her party eventually lost power and everything she once held to be true was falsified by her kids and friends. She never got to experience the freedom and opportunity of living without the Berlin Wall and being apart of the western world.
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