Introduction to “The Woman With the Iron First”: Deconstructive Analysis
Taken from the novel, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, this chapter “The Woman With the Iron First” sheds light on the story of Liesel, a girl whose brother is dead, and she is left alone with the Hubermans. She has nightmares when Hans Huberman consoles her becoming his father and his wife treating her as their adopted daughter. She has a book that she stole when her brother died. With the passage of time, she becomes habitual of the nocturnal consolation. The Hubermans become quite loving to the girl though they are not at good terms with each other. While Hans Huberman plays accordion, his wife works in the kitchen, seeing the girl as their only solace after their own boys have left them for good adopting different careers. Liesel is then sent to a Catholic school where she feels at odd among the young students. Mama, Rosa Huberman, shouts at Hans though he advises her not to shriek loudly. Though she is a hard-working lady who washes clothes of the elite class, she also demonstrates her dissatisfaction over the profession of her husband and pride of the elite class to whom she does not like. When Liesel attends school she comes to know that she is to become a Band of German Girls by sticking to certain norms in Germany. Liesel remembers Rosa, as an abusive woman not only toward her husband but also toward the people for whom she does washing. Later Rosa tells her that a lady Holtzapfel always spits on their door and when she spits, Liesel has to clean that means that such a lady with power having sons in the army spits and you have to clean it. She has taken this task as a routine. The deconstruction analysis of “The Woman With the Iron First” involves the identification of binary oppositions, identification of its center with cultural assumptions, impacts of binary on the center, and consequential “multiplicity of meanings” (Klages, p. 56).
Binary Opposition in “The Woman With the Iron First”
As far as binary oppositions in this chapter “The Woman With the Iron First” of the novel are concerned, they are in the characters as well as the setting. These binaries include the quietness of Hans Huberman and the loudness of Rosa Huberman, nightmare of Liesel and consolation of Hans Huberman, hereness of dream and “thereness” of Hans (Zusak, p. 42), his leaving, not leaving, education of Liesel and ignorance of the Hubermans, night and day, poverty of the Hubermans and wealth of the people for whom Rosa does washing, hard work of Rosa and idleness of Hans Huberman and power and obedience. These binaries show different values residing in German society. Whereas Liesel has been left alone, the Hubermans are a well-knit family living in the German town. The German culture dominates their household as well as love and hate relationships (p. 41-45). The wife, Rosa, is loud, coarse, and dissatisfied, but Hans is quiet, idle, and satisfied with his lot. His playing of the accordion for the girl in this chapter, “The Woman With the Iron First” shows his satisfaction as well as love for art. This means that the center is the German culture.
This short analysis of the binary opposition from “The Woman With the Iron First” shows that the key cultural assumptions are about German culture. It can be assumed that the woman, mostly from the poor background such as the Hubermans, are coarse, and loud-mouthed but hard working and loyal to their husbands. They prefer sending their children to German schools where the existing German norms are taught such as “Band of German Girls” (p. 46) which Liesel has to learn when she gets to the school. The Catholic religion is dominant one as Liesel belongs to the Lutheran sect. It means that the religion, German social customs and German norms of the lower middle or poor class are the dominant assumptions. Considering German society as the center, it also becomes clear that there are two dominant classes. The first is that of the people in power who are mostly in the armed forces, and the second people who have money as Rosa Huberman washes their clothes. The other assumptions is that these two classes of the German social fabric are at bad terms with the poor class, as the spitting of the iron first lady on the door and cleaning of Liesel shows (p. 46). It is also clear from the behavior of Frau Holtzapfel who spits, and Liesel has to clean, for she has sons in the army (p. 49). This shows the prevalent culture of power and dominance. It also demonstrates the writer’s attitude toward the German culture and key assumptions of this culture that he has highlighted through the characters. When the binary oppositions stated earlier are looked and broken down, they impact the center as well as reveal varied interpretations.
Liesel in “The Woman With the Iron First”
When the chapter opens, Liesel is staying with the Hubermans, while she is attached to the head of the family, an old male. This is a strange relationship of love in that he is a complete stranger to her earlier though they have adopted Liesel as their daughter. She becomes quite consoled when he is there and this “thereness” (Zusask 42) points to the presence of a male member with her. Some words such as “brute strength” against “gentleness” points to the fact that Hans comes to her though out of love, but this opposite-gender relationship points to not-exact love for gender solace, specifically when the girl is so young. It is frowned upon in every culture let alone German culture. This is a first attack on the assumption as some binary opposition suggests that this relationship has its dark side. The second issue that arises is the bitterness of Rosa Huberman. Though she is not entirely at bad terms with her husband Hans, and takes care of the girl when she teaches her to clean spitting on the door by the end of the story, it is not clear why she is often loud with her husband when he is present with this little girl Liesel. Even if the old man is attracted to her, he still takes a good care of the girl that does not seem to go down well with Rosa, as she always asks him to stop the noise of the playing accordion. However, it is interesting that where it is a “safety” (p. 43) for the girl, it seems insecurity for Rosa. The inherent contractions of these binary oppositions have demonstrated the nearing instability of the German social fabric. This also points to varied interpretations of the society when broken down on this level.
Whereas on the one hand, this binary opposition shows that the old man, Hans Huberman, is a fatherly figure to the girl but the at the same time “brute strength” and “smell” (p. 42) against the innocence and fragrance of the freshness of the girly points to savagery. It further highlights that the old man is attracted to the girl who seeks safety in the daylight but experiences nightmares at night. It is true that she remembers her dead brother and mother, it is also true that the Hubermans have adopted her as their own daughter. However, these binary oppositions point to a relationship that does not fit a father and an adopted daughter as Rosa becomes bitter toward her husband. But at the same time, she does not show the same bitterness against the girl that is another argument that goes in favor of the old man that he treats her as a daughter. Going further deep, when Liesel is admitted to a school, it becomes clear that she is to become a pure German girl having certain norms. At the same time, in reality, there seems some other social conventions where a poor can only be loudmouthed like Rosa Huberman. Both Rosa and Hans also compete with each other to win the girl though the girl likes Papa more than Rosa. Such a contradictory event has increased disunity in the story which becomes further obvious when this chapter reaches its end.
Role of Binary Opposition in “The Woman With the Iron First”
Whereas as the role of binary oppositions in disuniting the text in this chapter “The Woman With the Iron First” is concerned, it is too much obvious from the very start. The girl is going to live with a German family with the assumption that this innocent girl is going to learn manners and ways to live in this world from her would-be Papa having “brute strength” and would-be Mama “loud” woman (p. 42). On the other hand, she is admitted to a formal state-run school to learn Catholic belief deposit being a Lutheran, German superior despite being an inferior and learn manners despite living with an inferior or poor family (45). Even then she is being taught to beware of the corrupt elite class whose manners uphold superiority making her inferior to them. These implicit attack on the German culture are entirely contrary to the supposed German upbringing of the girl.
Conclusion
Cutting it short, deconstruction analysis of “The Woman With the Iron First” has not only presented binary oppositions to uncover the inherent contradictions in the German social construct but also in the beliefs of the characters and their behavior. These oppositions have made the center instable causing the text to be fluid with variety of interpretations which seem slipping out of the hands of the author, Markus Zusak himself and also show that there are more things in the text than merely scribbled words on the pages.
References
- Zusak, M., 2007. The Book Thief. Picador Australia.
- Klages, Mary., 2011. Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Continuum International Publishing Company.
Relevant Questions about Deconstruction Analysis of “The Woman With the Iron Fist”
- How does “The Woman With the Iron Fist” deconstruct and subvert traditional gender roles and power dynamics within the martial arts genre, and what does this reveal about the film’s commentary on societal norms and expectations?
- In what ways does the film challenge and deconstruct typical character archetypes and moral dichotomies often seen in martial arts films, and how does this contribute to a more complex and layered narrative?
- Can you analyze the deconstruction of cultural stereotypes and tropes related to martial arts and Asian culture in “The Woman With the Iron Fist,” and discuss how these deconstructions impact the film’s overall themes and messages?
