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Cat and Mouse
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Cat and Mouse - Grass (Oct/2019BOTM)
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1. I have read The Tin Drum which I didn't enjoy as much as this. I am reading a translation by Ralph Manheim. I didn't know the author was the cover artist I double checked and yes Grass is credited as the cover artist for my edition.
2. I like the title. Throughout the book we are told the mouse is Mahlke's Adams apple and in a sense the "cat" the other pupils are always trying to capture the essence of Mahlke and they never succeed.
3, I am not entirely sure about this. For me the Adams apple represented that Mahlke was older and needed to grow to fit his body. It also showed how he felt all the time as it was a visible sign of his inner workings. It was called the mouse because it was large and always moving and attracted the attention of a local cat.
4. The cat to me was all the other children who wanted to capture Mahlke spirit for themselves.
5. Mahlke is a reluctant hero while he is seen as a Nazi hero he is actually not actively backing the regime he just gets caught up in a particular point in time when his actions make him appear heroic and not the rebellious character that he is.
Pilenz is a contemporary of Mahlke he is telling the story because he wants closure over what happened with Mahlke. I think he needs to get it off his chest rather like confession.
6. Most notable is Mahlke and the Virgin Mary he wears a necklace with her on it and takes her image to his hideout. A lot of the story takes place in church and Pilenz is an altar boy.
7. No idea.
8. The Iron Cross is not referred to by name and I think that could be because the author doesn't agree with it. It appears when the school receives a visit from an airman, it appears around Mahlke's neck and it is the medal Mahlke displays on his uniform.
9. The definition I think most fits the novel is "an unfilled space; a gap" this could refer to the hideout on the sunken ship and also the gap Mahlke has left in the life of Pilenz.
10. I think the author is trying to say that the war was a bad thing that ordinary people got caught up in. It is a look at what makes heroes and how those heroes actually view themselves.
2. I like the title. Throughout the book we are told the mouse is Mahlke's Adams apple and in a sense the "cat" the other pupils are always trying to capture the essence of Mahlke and they never succeed.
3, I am not entirely sure about this. For me the Adams apple represented that Mahlke was older and needed to grow to fit his body. It also showed how he felt all the time as it was a visible sign of his inner workings. It was called the mouse because it was large and always moving and attracted the attention of a local cat.
4. The cat to me was all the other children who wanted to capture Mahlke spirit for themselves.
5. Mahlke is a reluctant hero while he is seen as a Nazi hero he is actually not actively backing the regime he just gets caught up in a particular point in time when his actions make him appear heroic and not the rebellious character that he is.
Pilenz is a contemporary of Mahlke he is telling the story because he wants closure over what happened with Mahlke. I think he needs to get it off his chest rather like confession.
6. Most notable is Mahlke and the Virgin Mary he wears a necklace with her on it and takes her image to his hideout. A lot of the story takes place in church and Pilenz is an altar boy.
7. No idea.
8. The Iron Cross is not referred to by name and I think that could be because the author doesn't agree with it. It appears when the school receives a visit from an airman, it appears around Mahlke's neck and it is the medal Mahlke displays on his uniform.
9. The definition I think most fits the novel is "an unfilled space; a gap" this could refer to the hideout on the sunken ship and also the gap Mahlke has left in the life of Pilenz.
10. I think the author is trying to say that the war was a bad thing that ordinary people got caught up in. It is a look at what makes heroes and how those heroes actually view themselves.
1. Have you read anything else by this author? Who is the translater or your book or are you reading in in German? Did you know that the author was the cover artist. I did not know that the author was the cover artist and I read the Ralph Manheim translation. I have never read anything else by Gunter Grass.
2. What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents?
The author ties the title immediately into the way the narrator thinks about the outside Adam's apple of Joachim Mahlke and we also instantly learn about how this story is going to be told. The narrator/writer of the tale, tells us right in the beginning that the cat may have attacked Mahlke on his own, or the cat may have been put on his adam's apple by the writer. This tale is being written from memory and it is a memory influenced by many things. The Cat and Mouse game becomes a way of seeing one's life. There is some free will as you dodge the cat but the cat has an extreme advantage in influencing one's life.
3, Our author likes to use symbolism in his works. What does Mahlke's Adam apple represent. Why is it called a mouse?
I believe that the Adam's apple stands for Mahlke's oddness, his standing out, his discomfort with himself and yet a way of being separate from "just another boy" in a meaningful way. Mahlke makes choices the other boys can not or do not make and in this way Mahlke appears to have more power than the other boys.
4. What does the Cat represent?
I read the Cat as being those forces that one can not control, everything from growing up, to the war that is growing around them.
5. What kind of character is Joachim Mahlke? What motivates Mahlke? Who is Pilenz? Why does Pilenz tell this story?
Mahlke is motivated by some sense of self that stands apart from the other boys. He is motivated by his love of the Virgin Mary, by his delight in finding odd things on the sunken boat, by his recognizing how different he is and attempting to come to terms with that. Pilenz is a bit obsessed with Mahlke as he comes to see that Mahlke is a stand in for all their youthful and odd independence and unexplored potential. All, that he ultimately turns his back on or loses.
7. what does the "ship's bridge" that rises above the water illustrate?
For most of the boys it is a secret lair that they do not have access to. For Mahlke it is his safe place.
8. What key points does the Iron Cross appear and for what purpose?
As a medal that the soldier wears, it represents the sacrifices or heroics that he has contributed for the fatherland but for Mahlke it represents a strange hypocrisy. He doesn't respect the soldier or the medal but on the other hand he wants it. It is almost as if he can not have anyone else be the odd one, the person that stands out, or who triumphs so he takes the thing that represents another's triumph.
9. The narrative technique has been noted as lacunae? What does that mean in reference to the author's novella?
The narrator/writer is looking back and struggling to capture not just the events of his childhood but also the peculiar feelings of his childhood and why he struggles into his adulthood with his thoughts about Mahlke. There are huge gaps in this narrative because he is attempting, and sometimes failing, to concentrate only on Mahlke. There are gaps in time but there are also gaps in motivations. The tension this causes within the book is quite remarkable.
10. What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing this book? What ideas was he or she trying to get across?
I think, in parallel with his narrator, the author was attempting to discover and convey, what it was like to grow up in the war years; to have your whole youth overshadowed by the building war and the fact that you were likely headed into the front lines. At the same time he was attempting to show a common boyhood relationship and how that could impact one's whole life. The tension between the two which is never discussed in the book, permeates the book.
11. Don't forget to write your review and post it in our 1001 Review section. Share any opinions you have here about the book.
Mod
Yes, I read The Tin Drum which I do not recall liking in anyway, though I can see the annoying little boy beating on the drum so the picture in my mind. He makes 2 maybe 3 appearances in this book but that is all that really connects the two books. The author was a graphic artist and did his own illustrating. I learned that going into this book. Did not know it previously. He was a sculler, draftsman, playwright, and poet. I don't know if there are any other translators of his work. I could only find Ralph Mannheim. By the way, my book was a Signet Book (cheap publisher) 1964. Old book, I wore the cover right off.
2. What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents?
The book title is symbolic even tho author denies that he used symbols in his writing. A cat is the persecutor and the mouse the victim. A metaphor for the war stricken. The cat, society, the mouse, Mahlke.
3, Our author likes to use symbolism in his works. What does Mahlke's Adam apple represent. Why is it called a mouse?
The Adam's apple is the mouse of course but it also represents Adam, man and brings in the religious. It also shows boyhood and adolescence as the Adam apple sticks out more in youth and draws attention to the bearer. It is called a mouse as previously noted (the victim of the cat.
4. What does the Cat represent?
The cat is the persecutor, repressor, Nazi's, society. The cat is also Pilenz who is the observer of Mahlke the mouse.
5. What kind of character is Joachim Mahlke? What motivates Mahlke? Who is Pilenz? Why does Pilenz tell this story?
Mahlke is a boy who is being raised by his mother and aunt, he is fatherless because his dad died in an accident. Mahlke is bullied and laughed at. Mahlke is odd to say the least. He doesn't really fit in but he is an overachiever and eventually out-does all the other boys in swimming and taking risk. All efforts to be accepted. Because of who he is, he also is signaled out to be treated poorly and is expelled from school after an incident involving the Iron Cross. He was sent away, and never recognized for anything even though he does it well. He is often very silent and more so as the story is told by Pilenz. Mahlke does say he wants to be a clown. A clown would give him the ability to control the laughter of other people.
Mahlke is also the sacrifice, often referred to as "Redeemer".
Pilenz is the observer, he is our unreliable narrator and we don't even get to know his name until chapter 8. Why does he tell this story? Is it a cat and mouse game or a confession?
6. Religious symbolism pervades the book. Share some examples that you found.
Virgin Mary, the cross, the host, Redeemer appearance of Mahlke.
7. what does the "ship's bridge" that rises above the water illustrate?
The ships bridge just above the water where the boys congregate during the years before they go to war is a illustration of the destructiveness of war that endures.
8. What key points does the Iron Cross appear and for what purpose?
The Iron Cross is a old military symbol of the kingdom of Prussia. It was taken over and the swastika imposed on it." Mahlke steals it and is expelled. He earns his own but is still rejected by society."
9. The narrative technique has been noted as lacunae? What does that mean in reference to the author's novella?
Pilenz tells the story about Mahlke. He is unreliable and we don't even know who he is until chapter 8.
10. What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing this book? What ideas was he or she trying to get across?
I think he was writing about the effects of war on the people and society.
11. Don't forget to write your review and post it in our 1001 Review section. Share any opinions you have here about the book.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to writing my review.
1. Have you read anything else by this author? Who is the translater or your book or are you reading in in German? Did you know that the author was the cover artist.I have only read Crabwalk by this author. I read the edition translated by Ralph Manheim. I did not know that the author was the cover artist.
2. What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents?
The title refers to the ambivalent cat-and-mouse type of relationship the narrator (Pilenz) has with his friend Mahlke during their youth. That reference starts with an incident with a cat which caused Pilenz to identify himself as the eternal cat and Mahlke as the mouse. We can also view war-impacted society in general as the cat to Mahlke's mouse.
3, Our author likes to use symbolism in his works. What does Mahlke's Adam apple represent. Why is it called a mouse?
Mahlke's Adam's apple is referred to as a mouse since the cat Pilenz placed on Mahlke's neck attacked it. His Adam's apple was unusually prominent, setting him apart from others in appearance. In order to detract attention from this physical flaw, he would always engage in amazing feats to awe his audience. One can also argue that Mahlke's Adam's apple is a reference to the fall of man.
4. What does the Cat represent?
As mentioned previously. On a smaller scale, it represented Pilenz, who acted as a predator in that he mistreated and persecuted Mahlke during their youth in order to make himself look better in front of his peers. On a larger scale, it represented the violence and injustice seen in society during the war. An example of this is Nazi Germany's treatment of occupied Poland.
5. What kind of character is Joachim Mahlke? What motivates Mahlke? Who is Pilenz? Why does Pilenz tell this story?
Mahlke is a naive and awkward character, but overall a good person who receives less than fair treatment and little recognition for the good things he does. Pilenz is the narrator of the story. He tells the story due to his guilt, as a way of atoning for or justifying his actions regarding his cruelty to Mahlke and (view spoiler).
6. Religious symbolism pervades the book. Share some examples that you found.
The religious items Mahlke finds on the wrecked minesweeper, including the medallion with the Virgin Mary. Mahlke exhibited devotion to the Virgin Mary even though he was not Catholic and professed no faith in God. Pilenz is Catholic and and Altar boy.
7. what does the "ship's bridge" that rises above the water illustrate?
It's presence in the harbor illustrates the lingering destruction of war.
8. What key points does the Iron Cross appear and for what purpose?
Mahlke is (view spoiler)
9. The narrative technique has been noted as lacunae? What does that mean in reference to the author's novella?
This narrative technique takes its name from anatomy and the lacunae, or small gaps, in bone. The story reflects Pilenz's disjointed thoughts and skips to different little pockets of his memories. This often involves switching between second and third person narration.
10. What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing this book? What ideas was he or she trying to get across?
It strikes me as an anti-Nazism book. The author is using symbolism to convey his feelings about the current situation in his hometown of Danzig (currently Gdansk, Poland).
1. Haven’t read Tin Drum yet, so nope. Don’t remember the translator, I read this book in like 2014 or 2015, and also didn’t know the author was the artist, so that’s cool. 2. I like it: it relates well to the idea of the chase in the book: between Mahlke and the other students, and him and his ambition.
3. I’ve thought about it as a symbol that Mahlke is in some way prey to the forces of his society (like the Nazis) who would be the cats. Its remarkable size relates to his remarkable talents, also marking him as more obvious prey in bigger machinations.
4. See 2 and 3: mostly the other students, and the Nazis.
5. From reading this years ago, I remember him being kind of odd and distant but motivated by this almost Ancient Greek sense of glory and pothos. Pilenz is a friend of his that becomes more estranged from him as the story goes on, he is largely responsible for Mahlke’s demise, and I think that is why, largely, he is chosen as the narrator.
6. Largely the Virgin Mary necklace.
7. It is a refuge for Mahlke and a source of intrigue for the boys who meet there.
8. It both removes Mahlke from the school, and he sees earning one as his step back and to glory, which doesn’t quite come to fruition. I think it illustrates the idea of glory in the novel, and both the folly of trying to steal it, and the limitations it has in being a fulfilling dream.
9. The narrative switches between different times, and third and second person narrative perspective.
10. I think it’s a lot of things, including a rumination of glory and its limitations, and how that desire can be harnessed for evil.
Cat and Mouse was published in 1961. It is the second book in the Danzig Trilogy, and the sequel to The Tin Drum.
Do you need to read The Tin Drum to read this. I don't think so but both books are short. Oskar Matzerath, protagonist of The Tin Drum, makes an appearance as "a little brat, who must have been about three, pound[ing] monotonously on a child's tin drum, turning the afternoon into an infernal smithy" (p. 17). He appears later in reference to the "Dusters" as "a three-year old child whom the gang had cherished as a kind of mascot" (p. 86).
Günter Grass was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland). As a teenager, he served as a drafted soldier from late 1944 in the Waffen-SS and was taken prisoner of war by US forces at the end of the war in May 1945. He was released in April 1946. Trained as a stonemason and sculptor, Grass began writing in the 1950s. In his fiction, he frequently returned to the Danzig of his childhood.
Group discussion leader? I guess it will be me.
1. Have you read anything else by this author? Who is the translater or your book or are you reading in in German? Did you know that the author was the cover artist.
2. What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents?
3, Our author likes to use symbolism in his works. What does Mahlke's Adam apple represent. Why is it called a mouse?
4. What does the Cat represent?
5. What kind of character is Joachim Mahlke? What motivates Mahlke? Who is Pilenz? Why does Pilenz tell this story?
6. Religious symbolism pervades the book. Share some examples that you found.
7. what does the "ship's bridge" that rises above the water illustrate?
8. What key points does the Iron Cross appear and for what purpose?
9. The narrative technique has been noted as lacunae? What does that mean in reference to the author's novella?
10. What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing this book? What ideas was he or she trying to get across?
11. Don't forget to write your review and post it in our 1001 Review section. Share any opinions you have here about the book.