Katya intentionally leaves some threads dangling at the novel's conclusion, and I'd like to examine one of them. What struck me after reading the third part of the novel was how often Katya thought about her dead family members, and more specifically, how often she thought about each one.
If I were to make a judgment of which family member Katya loved the most by looking at how many times she mentioned each person, I'd conclude that Katya loved Greta the most. Obviously, I don't think Katya prioritized her love for her family in this way, but I find it interesting how many times Greta is mentioned compared to how few times her other family members are. A few examples of Katya mentioning Greta:
"Katya knew her grandmother's words were meant for her. She was referring to Katya's refusal to wear Greta's clothes. Greta's blouses and skirts, the dress she had worn the day she was baptized, her undervests, waists, and petticoats lay in a bureau drawer, still holding her scent, a scent that was released bit by bit each time Katya opened the drawer" (257).
"Barbara and Dietrich were going to have a baby, she learned from Olga. They would all change, grow older, while Greta remained the same" (278).
These are only a few examples among many, and it struck me that Greta is mentioned a disproportionate number of times. Katya barely mentions her parents, and her brothers even less (I recall that she thought of her brothers in passing when she was given an impromptu sex ed lesson). I know Katya was really close to Greta, I guess I was just a little taken aback by how little her brothers were mentioned in the same way, or even her parents. Maybe it was just how she coped with the trauma?
This is an interesting observation I hadn't thought about before. Throughout the book in general Greta is mentioned a lot more then either of the brothers. Perhaps because they were sisters Katya was more connected to her.
ReplyDeleteI think part of the reason she missed Greta so much was because she no longer had a role model. Greta was the person she looked up to and tried to be like, so she no longer has a sister to follow. She is suddenly thrust into a world where she must take care of herself.
I thought a lot about this too, Jake. Every time Katya mentioned Greta, it was often for very mundane reasons, or something that didn't seem quite relevant to what was going on. I think this is because she was closest to Greta and because this was the only way she knew how to cope with the trauma.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great point, Jake. I hadn't noticed until now. Looking back, though, I sort of figured that Katya would reflect more on her relationships with her mother or her father. I kind of think that we hear a lot about Katya's feelings on her mother and father while they are still living. I wonder if that could be why we hear so much about Greta post-massacre.
ReplyDeleteIt actually didn't take me by surprise that Katya thought of Greta so much more than her other family members. I do remember Katya thinking of her brothers fairly often, once as she hallucinates that they are about to get hit by a carriage, and I think these strange hallucinations and thoughts of her family are Birdsell's way of showing how much trauma Katya was still dealing with, that she couldn't even think about it. Later, as she begins to cope, she constantly questions Lydia in her mind about what happened to her dad and mom, did her father protect anyone else? What was the order they were killed in? These questions came up for at a normal time, i thought. But her thoughts of Greta came almost immediately, i think because although there was trauma involved with Greta, Katya also missed her presence, her friendship, something she was already beginning to give up with her parents as she became an adult.
ReplyDeleteJake, this is an interesting question. I think that because Greta is a bit older, and Katya looks up to her as an example, that she figures large in Katya's consciousness. It's also that Greta is Katya's guide to womanhood, and by watching her, Katya learns what will be her fate. Except that Greta is murdered, and so the notion that Greta shows Katya what will happen next in her life is terrifying. Perhaps she's afraid to wear Greta's clothes not only because she doesn't want them to lose her scent, but because she doesn't want to BE Greta anymore. Katya's affectionate with her brothers, but in this traditional culture, they belong to a different "sphere." She is devastated to lose them, but she will never be like them. There are some rather lovely passages in which Katya observes her mother's beauty and her spunk--as in telling Helena off when she is too hard on Katya. But Katya's mother is overburdened with childcare and work, so she doesn't have a lot of time for Katya. Greta is really her mentor into womanhood.
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