meant to be German in the shadow of such profound national shame. Her novel attempts to break the silence that enveloped post-war Germany, offering a window into the personal and collective struggles of those who lived through the period.

The Question of Identity and "Otherness"

Central to Hegi’s exploration is the concept of "otherness," a theme that resonates deeply in the context of both world wars. The character of Trudi Montag, a dwarf, serves as a metaphor for the outsider in society. Her unique perspective allows her to observe the prejudices and hypocrisies of her community. As the Nazi ideology took hold, new "others" were defined and systematically persecuted, including Jews, the mentally handicapped, and other marginalized groups.

Hegi’s fictional town of Burgdorf becomes a microcosm for the broader societal changes happening across Germany. Initially a place where religious and social differences were navigated with a semblance of tolerance, Burgdorf transforms under Nazi influence, as suspicion and silence replace interdependence. The novel delves into how ordinary people justified or denied the suffering of their neighbors, a reflection of the broader national denial that persisted even after the war ended.

Post-War Reflections and the Legacy of Silence

After the war, Germany faced the challenging task of rebuilding both its physical infrastructure and its national identity. The silence surrounding the Holocaust and Nazi atrocities became a profound national issue, one that Hegi seeks to address through her storytelling. Her interviews with survivors and her extensive research offer an authentic portrayal of life in Germany during and after the Nazi era, challenging readers to confront uncomfortable truths about complicity and moral responsibility.

Hegi’s narrative underscores the enduring impact of this historical period on subsequent generations. The scars left by the Holocaust and World War II are woven into the fabric of German society, influencing how history is remembered and taught. Her novel serves as both a reminder and a reckoning, urging a continuous examination of what it means to be German and the importance of remembering history to prevent its darkest parts from repeating. By interweaving personal stories with historical events, Hegi invites a deeper understanding of the complexities and contradictions of human behavior in times of moral crisis.

The novels "Stones from the River" by Ursula Hegi and "The Tin Drum" by Günter Grass share a profound engagement with the complexities of German history, particularly the Nazi era. Both authors explore ordinary lives under extraordinary conditions, using distinctive narrative techniques and rich symbolism to convey their messages. While Grass’s work is seen as a classic exploration of pre-war and wartime Germany through the eyes of an unconventional protagonist, Hegi’s novel delves deep into the post-war German psyche, unearthing the silence and guilt surrounding the Holocaust.

Inspirations and Parallels

"The Tin Drum," published by Grass in 1959, serves as a potential precursor to Hegi’s "Stones from the River." Grass, a pivotal literary figure born in 1927 in Danzig, crafted a narrative that resonated deeply with the generation raised during the Nazi regime. His protagonist, Oskar, a dwarf, protests the societal atrocities he witnesses by refusing to grow beyond the age of three. His tin drum and glass-shattering voice become symbols of defiance against the horrors of Nazi occupation. This postwar classic exposes the dark facets of German history and the broader human condition.

Hegi, born post-war in 1946, channels the silence and shame experienced in Germany about the Holocaust in her work. "Stones from the River," originally published in English, confronts this collective reticence, offering insights into the burden of being German. The narrative, through the character Trudi, voices the guilt pervasive in post-war German society: "I am burdened by being German. We all are."

Setting and Environment

The setting of Hegi's novel is meticulously crafted, embedding readers in the fictional town of Burgdorf, near the Rhein River. This locale, with its Catholic churches, convent hospital appropriated by the Gestapo, and the Grafenburg asylum, provides a vivid backdrop for the unfolding story. The town's pay-library, home and workplace for Leo Montag and his daughter, becomes a microcosm of the broader societal struggles. It serves as both a sanctuary and a hub for exchanging stories, reflecting the social and political tensions of the era.

The narrative cannot be divorced from its historical context. The aftermath of World War I, the ensuing economic depression, the Catholic Church's demands for obedience, Hitler's rise, and the Nazi youth groups all shape the characters and drive the plot. This environment underscores the novel’s exploration of individual and collective identity during a tumultuous period.

Metaphoric Language and Symbolism

Hegi’s use of metaphoric language enhances the narrative's immediacy, vividly painting scenes with unexpected comparisons. The fireworks on Trudi’s birthday are likened to water, "drenching the sky" and "spilling stars," while cold rain is depicted as "threads stitching the earth to the gray sky." Such imagery enriches the text, inviting readers to see beyond the literal events.

The Rhein River stands as a potent symbol throughout the novel. It embodies the flow of time, change, and narrative, serving both as a setting element and a metaphor for storytelling. Hegi writes:

As the river, she washed through the houses of people without being seen, got into their beds, their souls, as she flushed out their stories and fed on their worries about what she knew. . . . Whenever she became the river, the people matched her power only as a group.

This symbolism extends to the novel’s thematic exploration of stories as vessels for truth and connection, akin to the river transporting ideas and beliefs.

Narrative Technique and Themes

"Stones from the River" unfolds from a third-person perspective, yet it offers an intimate glimpse into Trudi Montag’s world. The narrative weaves historical events like the Jewish boycott and the bombing of Dresden into the personal trajectories of its characters, personalizing history’s impact. Hegi incorporates German terms to ground the story in its cultural context.

Trudi’s perception, shaped by her outsider status, grants her an almost omniscient view of her surroundings. Her unique insight and foresight, as well as her ability to see "under the surface," parallel the river’s hidden depths. Stones, another recurring symbol, represent secrets and silence. Trudi’s associations with stones—whether through memories of her mother or the pile of stones she builds during times of distress—reveal layers of personal and collective significance.

Ultimately, the river and stones encapsulate the novel’s exploration of identity, memory, and reconciliation with the past. Trudi’s identification with the river reflects her journey towards understanding and acceptance, mirroring the flow of history and narrative that shapes and sustains communities.

In her novel Stones from the River, author Hegi delves into the intricate tapestry of modern German history, shedding light on how the quiet compliance of everyday German citizens played a role in the Holocaust.

Character Perspectives

1. What might have inspired the author to choose a dwarf as the unique lens through which the unfolding events and characters are revealed?

Trudi's Vision

2. How does Trudi possess an almost mystical insight that allows her to perceive what others cannot? In what ways does her uncanny foresight and influence over future events intertwine with themes of secrecy and being an outsider?

Complex Relationships

3. What underlying tension exists in the relationship between Trudi and Hanna, causing Trudi to feel discomfort?

Acceptance and Difference

4. Why is embracing those who differ from the norm so challenging? What drives the human need for acceptance? Would Trudi's identity have been altered if she had not been born as a dwarf?

Religious Influence

5. Throughout Trudi's upbringing, organized religion holds sway over the lives of Burgdorf's residents. How then do these Christians reconcile turning away from their faith's teachings as they witness the persecution of Jewish friends and neighbors? How does the church's role evolve throughout the narrative?

Allegiance and Awareness

6. Within Stones from the River, several individuals align themselves with the Nazi Party, pledging loyalty to Hitler. Was the average German truly aware of the death camps' horrors? Did individuals bear the responsibility to uncover the truth? If they were aware, why didn’t more resist? Use examples from the novel's characters to support your viewpoint.

Silence and Memory

7. After the war's end, the people of Burgdorf remain silent, advising Trudi that "It's not good to dwell on the things that were terrible." Why does Trudi contest this notion? What are the townsfolk truly afraid of?

Generational Reflections

8. How might today's Germans grapple with the weight of their nation's historical wrongdoings against Jews? How does this compare to the reflections of white Americans regarding slavery, Jim Crow, and the treatment of Native Americans?

• 1940s: IG Farben manufactures Zyklon-B, a lethal hydrogen cyanide-based delousing agent, originally developed by German-Jewish chemist Fritz Haber during World War I. This deadly concoction is supplied to the SS (the Schutzstaffel, the military arm of the Nazi Party) for use in the gas chambers at Buchenwald and other locations.

  Today: Although IG Farben has been dissolved, its influential successors persist in the global business arena, with Bayer and BASF rising as prominent entities.

• 1940s: Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, sees rampaging mobs wreak havoc, vandalizing synagogues and Jewish-owned stores throughout Germany. This tragic event marks the beginning of widespread anti-Semitic violence that shadows the early years of the decade.

  Today: In a powerful stand against hatred in 1993, the residents of Billings, Montana, rally to thwart white supremacist attacks on the Jewish community. Displaying unity, over ten thousand households and businesses adorn their windows with images of menorahs as a symbol of solidarity. In a remarkable gesture, Christians fill the pews of local synagogues, eschewing their own church services. Ashamed and outnumbered, the white supremacists retreat, while acts of solidarity with Jews and other marginalized groups continue to flourish into the new millennium.

• 1940s: Commandant Rudolf Höss oversees Auschwitz-Birkenau, a grim complex of forced labor and death camps in Oswiecim, Poland. It becomes the graveyard for roughly 1.6 million souls during the Holocaust, including approximately 1.3 million Jews, alongside an estimated 300,000 Soviet POWs, Polish Catholics, Romani people, and others. In 1947, Höss faces justice and is executed at Auschwitz for his war crimes.

  Today: The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, situated in Oswiecim, Poland, has opened its doors to more than twenty-five million visitors. Since the 1990s, it draws an annual pilgrimage of half a million people. The museum's website bears testament to history, showcasing photographs of surviving structures and documentary evidence collected by the Allies to chronicle the atrocities committed here. It is advised that children under fourteen refrain from visiting the museum.

Ursula Hegi has masterfully woven a tapestry of fictional narratives that intertwine with her acclaimed novel, Stones from the River. Her other literary gems, Floating in My Mother's Palm (1990) and The Passion of Emma Blau (2000), are set in the same intimate hamlet of Burgdorf. Each story revolves around a formidable woman—Trudi in Stones, Hanna in Floating, and Emma in Passion. These characters epitomize resilience and defiance, charting their own courses despite societal pressures to conform to traditional female roles.

Floating in My Mother's Palm extends the narrative journey of Stones from the River, ushering readers into post-war Burgdorf through the insightful perspective of Hanna, born in 1946. Though it predates Stones from the River in publication, this novel serves as a compelling sequel that enriches the Burgdorf universe. Hegi ingeniously elevates Trudi from a minor role in Floating in My Mother's Palm to the central figure in Stones from the River, with Hanna reappearing in its concluding chapters.

The Passion of Emma Blau spans the tumultuous years from 1894 to 1990 in America. Young Stefan Blau flees Burgdorf at thirteen, determined to carve out a new life in the United States. Once established, he returns to Germany to marry Helene, Trudi's aunt. The novel paints a vivid portrait of the immigrant experience in America, as the Blau family grapples with separation from loved ones during two world wars and navigates the harsh realities of anti-German sentiment. Ultimately, the characters face a poignant choice: to conceal or celebrate their German roots.

Beyond her fiction, Hegi explores her heritage through nonfiction in Tearing the Silence: On Being German in America (1997). This collection of interviews delves into the lives of post-war German immigrants to America, those born between 1939 and 1949. As Hegi notes:

Although our individual experiences are different, we have several things in common. We were raised by the generation that lived the war, fought the war, killed, fled. And we left our country of origin to come to America. Some of us chose to emigrate as adults; for those who were children, it was a decision made by their families. Our German heritage does not define us entirely—it rather is a significant thread that weaves itself throughout our lives.

Each chapter of her nonfiction work is a personal journey, focusing on the experience of one individual (with names changed) within the tapestry of the German-American narrative. Hegi includes her own reflections, probing into questions like:

When did you find out about the Holocaust? Did your family speak about it? Your community? Did you dare to ask questions as a child? As an adult? How afraid were you of the answers? Did you find out more when you came to America? How do you live with the knowledge of the Holocaust? How has that silence affected your life? How does it affect your life now? Do you encounter prejudice against Germans in America? Do you have any prejudices against others? Why did you leave Germany? Do you feel connected to America? How do you regard your German background now? Do you think there is a collective burden of shame? Is that different for those of us who were born after the war? What can we, as German-born Americans, do now?

In her fiction, Hegi sometimes infuses the real-life stories and memories of those she interviewed. The German translation of Tearing the Silence, titled Das Schweigen durchbrechen. Über das Deutschsein in Amerika, extends its reach to German-speaking audiences, preserving the depth and poignancy of these narratives.

• Stones from the River (Abridged Audio Version), adapted for audio by Ursula Hegi, available through Simon & Schuster Audio on four cassettes, with a running time of approximately four and a half hours.
• Stones from the River (Unabridged Audio Version), available in its entirety from Chivers Audiobooks as of 2006.

Sources
Harmon, Kitty, “Ursula Hegi: The German-born Novelist Continues to Confront Her Native Country’s Past,” in Publishers Weekly, Vol. 241, No. 11, March 14, 1994, pp. 52–54.

Hegi, Ursula, Stones from the River, Scribner, 1994.

Holman, C. Hugh, and William Harmon, A Handbook to Literature, Macmillan, 1986, p. 494.

Ott, Bill, Review of Stones from the River, in Booklist, Vol. 90, No. 14, March 15, 1994, p. 1327.

Review of Stones from the River, in Publishers Weekly, Vol. 241, No. 3, January 17, 1994, p. 400.

Review of Tearing the Silence: On Being German in America, in Booklist, Vol. 93, No. 21, July 1997, p. 1793.

Robinson, Judith, Review of Stones from the River, in Library Journal, Vol. 127, No. 6, April 1, 2002, p. 159.

Schwarzbaum, Lisa, Review of Stones from the River, in Entertainment Weekly, No. 371, March 21, 1997, pp. 65–67.

Further Reading
Adelson, Betty M., Dwarfism: Medical and Psychological Aspects of Profound Short Stature, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. Adelson, a psychologist and the mother of an adult dwarf daughter, summarizes how dwarfism was understood and treated during the twentieth century. She examines social factors that affect the dwarf community and describes the day-to-day challenges that dwarf individuals face.

Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah, Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, Knopf, 1997. Thoroughly researched and documented, Goldhagen’s book disproves myths that suggest that ordinary Germans did not know what was happening during the reign of the Third Reich. Indeed, Goldhagen documents how tens of thousands of ordinary Germans engaged in hunting down and exterminating Jews.

Kautz, Fred, The German Historians: “Hitler’s Willing Executioners” and Daniel Goldhagen, Black Rose Books, 2002. Kautz summarizes Goldhagen’s book and then examines the rejection of it by three important German historians: Eberhard Jackel, Hans-Ulrich Wehler, and Hans Mommsen. Kautz looks at the way these scholars evaluated Goldhagen’s work and makes some cautionary remarks about the writing of history.

Mamet, David, The Wicked Son: Anti-Semitism, Self-Hatred, and the Jews, Knopf, 2006. A provocative writer, Mamet explores modern anti-Semitism and connects it to the way some Jews internalize that hatred. The title uses the metaphor of the Wicked Son, the child at the Passover Seder who asks about the story’s meaning. Mamet analyzes how some Jews seek meaning anywhere but in Judaism and how in the eyes of the non-Jewish world, Judaism remains the religion of the Wicked Son.

O’Brien, Mary Elizabeth, Nazi Cinema as Enchantment: The Politics of Entertainment in the Third Reich, Camden House, 2006. O’Brien’s book analyzes the propaganda films produced during Hitler’s regime and how they seduced German audiences, offering anti-Semitism couched in traditional values, community identity, and the hope for a better standard of living. In her analysis of thirteen films, O’Brien shows how Germans were enchanted by happy depictions of Aryan family life and messages that justified the Nazi regime.

Ulrich, Herbert, Hitler’s Foreign Workers: Enforced Foreign Labor in Germany under the Third Reich, Cambridge University Press, 2006. Ulrich analyzes how the Nazis used millions of foreigners as forced labor in Germany during World War II. Ulrich explores the workers from the point of view of the Nazi leadership and also from the point of view of the workers themselves.