Monday, May 18, 2009
Max's fight with Hitler
As a Jew in Nazi Germany, Max has all odds against him. He battles through hardship and continues to fight onwards, facing insanity, starvation, and boredom. In the Hubermanns' basement, Zuzak allows us to watch Max fantasize, and the outcome of his daydream is shocking. Why does Max lose to Herr Hitler in his own imagination? Obviously, Hitler had many advantages: the help of the crowd, a referee willing to look the other way on his behalf, and Max's weak underdog physique. However, in the freedom of his own imagination, Max had the ability to be victorious by changing the rules to favor his side. Instead, he makes the decision to be practial about his imagined fight, taking into account his poor condition and Hitler's strength. He takes the fight from a standpoint with a small amount of hope (as he is able to cause harm to Hitler and concern among his followers), but Max mostly fights the match in a pattern close to his real life. With an initial disadvantage and a fair amount of torture, the match's arc appears to be modeled after Max's true struggle. What Max doesn't realize is: he is not losing to Hitler. If Hitler had his way, Max would already be in a concentration camp, or dead. Max defys Hitler and evades his followers, but in his fantasy he doesn't give himself enough credit for all the strength he displays. If Max were to be consistant with his true battle, he would escape the ring at the last moment, frustrating Hitler and all present.
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I agree, Max is very hopeless when it comes to surviving, so I think that the reason he pictured himself losing is because he really felt like he would lose. Although, I don't think that Max realizes that he is defying Hitler, instead he sees it as Hitler limiting his options. If you were a Jew back then I don't think that you would see yourself as winning against Hitler when you are hiding.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zack. I also feel like when you are put in a position with nothing to do all day but worry about how everything could suddenly go wrong your nerves take over, and reasoning doesn't always do its job. Sometimes when you are emotionally compromised you don't always have control over your imagination, like a dream - things may start out good and ordinary but soon what often happens is your worst fears taking over, pushing back your rationality. As if your mind is preparing you for the ultimate worst possible outcome.
ReplyDeleteThe way I read this was that the metaphorical "Max" in the fight was a representation, for Max, of all the Jews who Hitler HAD defeated, not just Max.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Peter. I believe Max is the actual one fighting in the ring and Hitler acts as the oppressor. It reminded me of how Max as a teenager fist-fought with that other boy and had a 4 and 10 record. Max is the total underdog, but those few punches that he landed on the Führer represented the few wins he had. Maybe another reason why Max has himself losing is because he is a very practical man who has gone through so much hardship that it very difficult to have good dreams like winning a fight against Hitler.
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