SUMMARY, by Josep Guiteres
In this story we have the themes of gender roles, domination, submission, control, identity and tradition.
Throughout the story, Frau Brechenmacher is always at
the disposal of her husband.
When her husband arrives home, the Frau has
already prepared all the clothes for him to go to the wedding, making sure that
he would be ready before her.
Even the Frau uses her daughter Rose to help her to prepare
his husband’s things for the wedding. In reality, she is teaching her how to
serve her husband.
When the couple goes to the wedding, he walks in front
of her it as if there was a hierarchy that the Frau had to follow, that is,
the Herr occupies first place in the entire story.
When they arrived at the place where the wedding was
being held, the Frau sat next to her friend Frau Ledermann, who told her that
it was very striking that her skirt was open at the back; but she was so
attentive to her family that she forgot to take care of herself.
At the wedding it seems that men and women are
separated as if each one had their own place in this event.
According to the conversation between the two women,
the bride, who already has a daughter, did not want to marry anyone, but agreed to
marry due to the traditional composition of the family.
When the Herr gave the gift to the bride and the groom,
of all those present, the Frau was the only person who did not laugh, possibly because
for her the gift symbolizes the result of her life.
QUESTIONS
-They leave the children alone in the house. How has
our concept of safety changed? Can you tell an example of it that shocks you?
-The father was the top authority in the family, and he
had the monopoly of violence. How has it changed?
-How do you know the Brechenmacher family is a
low-class family, and what details show us that they pretend to be of a higher
class?
“Giving her [the bride] the appearance of an iced cake
all ready to be cut and served in little pieces to the bridegroom sitting
beside her.” What in a current wedding ceremony goes on showing the male domination,
according to your view?
What stories with illegitimate children do you know?
Tell us a summary of one of them.
How could be possible that a woman is more male
chauvinist than a man?
Herr Brechenmachen carries “the coffee pot to the
bridal pair… She lifted the lid, peeped in, then shut it down with a little
scream”. What was inside the coffee-pot? What can be the meaning of this
present?
-How can you imagine Frau Brechebnmachen wedding
night?
VOCABULARY
muddled, cinders, fir, saucers, overawed, bows, perspiration,
froth, wedged, dandle, clout