From time to time I find myself reading a work of historical fiction. I've always had an interest in such works as they attempt to illustrate a historical truth with imagination. Alone in Berlin is a work by German writer Hans Fallada that attempts to uncover the feelings and life of the common man under Hitler during the Second World War. This work is of extreme interest to me at the present as it begs to answer the question of culpability. Hitler and Fascism seems to be a resurgent topic in journalism coming from the United States with an administration that seems hellbent on controlling the press. We seem to be finding ourselves in a time not unlike that of Nazi Germany when people looking for government action against the domestic and abroad threat of terrorism, find that the "strong arm" way of ruling might actually be a good thing. Historians continually ask the question what sort of populace would find themselves complicit in electing a government like the Third Reich and this novel explores the idea that such questions aren't so easy to answer. The problem stems from the fact that people aren't accepting as much as they are afraid, and that fear can lead to some disastrous consequences.Alone in Berlin follows a man by the name of Otto Quangle and his wife Anna who find themselves devastated at the news that their only son Otto has fallen in France. They feel the frustration of parents who find no solace in the despair of losing their only son who they believe died in vain in the service of the grotesque causes of the war. They believe that in some way they must resist the Nazi regime, although find no meaningful way. And so begins the appearance of dissident cards that speak out against the Nazis and most importantly Hitler. The care and diligence to leave the cards in places all over Berlin so that others may see and be inspired to do the same presents to enduring issues that remain today: How can we make our voices heard? And the other, more importantly, do we need validation in anyone hearing them?
It speaks to the stifling the millennial generation is feeling about being heard. Given the proliferation of social media it is easy to see why. When everyone has something to say, and theoretically the social media platform is giving people a chance to voice those opinions, however something remains insatiable. It could be that the hope that the Quangles felt in that they were being listened to and creating a difference was worth more than knowing whether it was or wasn't. When instagram tells you how many likes your photo gets and Twitter tells you how many people think your point is worth spreading, there is not much more that the average person can do to be heard. However, the Quangles story does affect important individuals in the novel. The story of human persistence against the great political machine is not new, but nor is it one that can easily be ignored. We as a society have a lot to learn from Fallada's work, and more important the purpose of telling these works in the age of information that we currently live in. And perhaps, you may find an inspiring new mechanism for telling your story.
