ipl-logo

Summary Of The Assault By Harry Mulisch

975 Words4 Pages

Memory carries multiple characteristics in The Assault. It is described throughout the story in a very unfavourable way by Anton. The past is never looked upon and there can only be hope that the future will hold a better life. Anton has good reason to supress the past because his early child hood was abysmal. He actively supresses memories throughout the novel and sees ignorance of past events as a safer approach to life. Harry Mulisch uses memory within the story to bring together different events in time, and create symbolism throughout the novel. The past is described as events that are never talked about. The reason for this is so that Anton may distance himself from the horrifying events of the past, and act as if they never happened. …show more content…

He goes through his daily life passively, not really caring what happens. Memories of the past give Anton a reason to worry, and allow him to feel the powerful emotions he has become so passive of. Yet Anton is a husk of a human being. He does not seem to enjoy life whatsoever, and has no joy in the world. He takes on a passive view of life as a way of coping with these horrid memories. He does have some moments of joy and loss, but nothing compares to the emotions he has of the incident. Mulisch describes the divorce with Saskia in one sentence as “This was 1968, a year after his divorce from Saskia” (152). There is no feelings or emotions described, the only description is that it happened. This passiveness Anton possesses shows the extent that his memories have changed the way he acts. The only feelings and emotions described in the book are of Anton’s memories of the past, and how “He should have buried all that” (60). The emotions Anton does show are all related to his memories of the past. The way Anton views memory in the story is that it would be better if he remembered nothing at …show more content…

He cannot escape, or forget his past no matter how hard he tries. Memories are a constant in Anton’s life, just as they are a constant throughout The Assault. The memories of the past constantly infiltrate Anton while he is an adult. He develops a hate for these past memories, and attempts to bury them deep within his mind. The memories however, always find a way to torment Anton and remind him of his past. Memories of the incident illicit fear from deep within him, and dictate how he acts. Anton cannot be left alone in silence due to his panic attacks, and lives an empty life. He hates everything associated with the past and memory. This resentment towards his past leads him to develop his passive lifestyle. Memory in the story dictates Anton’s life, and forms him into the person he is at the end of the

Show More
Related
584 Words | 3 Pages

He remembers the wonderful times he had experienced in his life before the incident , where he would visit the girl he fell in love with. He remembered his life, even further back, to his childhood, where he would play with children from around his neighborhood. On the other hand, he would also remember the mistakes he has made in life, the people he

Read More
205 Words | 1 Pages

In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Hans Hubermann deals with his past while exemplifying the themes of memory and punishment. First of all, Hans’ life had been saved in World War I by a Jew, and, because of this, decides to hide the man’s son in his basement years later when Jews were being persecuted. Hans’ decision exemplifies the theme of memory because, since the man had risked his life for him, he felt the least he could do was protect his son from danger. By remembering his past, Hans saves a life from peril and oppression, all while putting his own life in jeopardy. Second of all, Hans again remembers the Jew who saved his life when he gives a feeble Jewish man a piece of bread while surrounded by German soldiers.

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

Memories “Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose”(Arnold). In the book a long way gone a boy named Ishmael beah tells his story. In this novel Ishmael’s village is eventually raided and he becomes on his own. Through being on his own he thinks of the past and memories of a better life. These memories that he thinks of can hinder him and help him along the way through his journey.

Read More
409 Words | 2 Pages

Book Review The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly [Video] Written by former NPR correspondent, Mary Louise Kelly, the story is interesting and kept my attention, however, I would not say it was heart-pounding. On the surface, Caroline Cashion is gorgeous, smart, and successful; dig a little deeper and find she is a bit too isolated, enjoys sex without strings, and fears commitment. Adopted at the age of three by a well-to-do family in Washington DC, Caroline remembers nothing about her birth parents or for that matter, the tragedy in Georgia that erased them from her life.

Read More
777 Words | 4 Pages

He remembered the only line that his one friend told him which included the words “They is” which is grammatically incorrect. Anders did not tell his other friends about one this other kid told him because he realized that he would be a jerk if he did that. Those two words gave Anders some kind of excitement because he did not expect those words at all. That was his final memory because it gave him the happiness because it was truly unexpected for him compared to the life that he was in when he was still alive wherein he always critics things because he thought that he already saw all the things that may be unexpected for others. When I read this story, the main character’s personality is static when he was alive and when he got into that bank robbery situation where he criticizes the bank robbers without hesitation.

Read More
1420 Words | 6 Pages

Anton refuses to relate to those around him because he feels detached from society. Even as Anton returns to normal life, and school, he still is unable to form real bonds with his peers. In medical school, a fellow student invites Anton to a party that is in Haarlem, the city where he lost his family. Anton initially refuses to go, highlighting his reluctance to re-experience any part of the events that haunt him. However, he does eventually decide to go, and does so.

Read More
609 Words | 3 Pages

When you remember something you usually recollect your thoughts to do so. He needs to gain control of his life, just like he needs to gain control in the room. “And what can you do but what you did back in this awful room…Smile and hope for a change of subject” (270). Just like your life problems you want to forget that they are happening and think of something different. Confronting your problems is a hard and usually, an unwanted thing to do, that is why the room was so dingy and unkempt.

Read More
143 Words | 1 Pages

Everything that has to do with the past is a learning experience, a memory or a factor that motivates one to act. The graphic novels: Maus 1 and Maus 2, Spiegelman points out the struggles of Artie and Vladek. The novel portrays in detail panels along with dialogue and narration unforgettable experiences of the Holocaust. Not only are Artie’s struggles of writing his stories mentioned but Vladek’s struggles of what he went through in the Holocaust. Vladek is a Jew and survivor of the Holocaust which occurred around 1933-1945.

Read More
1110 Words | 5 Pages

Bullet in the Brain The title might be misleading to anyone used to action-packed short pieces of fiction. One might imagine a gunfight occurring in a crime drama were the protagonists shoot at each other and bullet ends up in one of their brains. However, he or she would be disappointed. It is the case of Anders, a book critic who will not keep quite.

Read More
767 Words | 4 Pages

The memories that are reflected upon in the story are very random and can across as odd. Wolff chooses to ignore common memories to really emphasize the meaning behind the story.

Read More
649 Words | 3 Pages

The memories of the tragic events of the Holocaust live on through Spiegelman and almost overwhelm him, although he did not actually live through the war himself. It is also the relationship between kin that post memory is shared. In a way, he almost inherited the memories that his father experienced. In addition, post memory builds up self identification, and this helps Art figure out who he really

Read More
865 Words | 4 Pages

Memories are one of the most important parts of life, there is no true happiness without the reminiscence of pain or love. This concept is portrayed in "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. The story tells of a 12-year old Jonas, who lives in a “utopian” society, where all bad memories are destroyed to avoid the feeling of pain. Jonas becomes the receiver, someone who receives good and bad memories, and he is transmitted memories of pain and pleasure from The Giver and is taught to keep the secret to himself. The author shows one should cherish memories, whether it be good or bad, as they are all of what is left of the past, and we should learn from it as to better ourselves in the future.

Read More
1443 Words | 6 Pages

As this helps him in his professional life as he is able to remember everything about who he met and little facts about the people he met, it also causes immense stress in his personal life. He is unable to forget any failure, so that he never takes risks. He is unable to forget all the people he loved in the past so he cannot love anyone new. Whenever he sees an object, which is connected to a memory, he will have monologues in his head which will explain what that object meant to him. As he looks away, the monologues volume will be turned down, but it will still be in the

Read More
1034 Words | 5 Pages

He realizes he is in exile and there really is nothing he nor anyone else can do about it. By accepting his life, (luck and fate in all) of being in exile, it makes for a much calmer journey(for the time that these emotions

Read More
1595 Words | 7 Pages

I have read the novel, “The Giver”, written by the famous American writer Lois Lowry. This book was written under author’s impression after visiting her aging father in the hospital, who had lost his long term memory. The idea of the book is the importance of memory. The novel is set in a society which seems like utopian, in this society there is no hunger, sadness, or misery. However this utopian society is held from experiencing true emotions.

Read More

More about Summary Of The Assault By Harry Mulisch

Related Topics

Open Document