Student Question

How does Death's explanation of Mr. Steiner's politics relate to his anger over his son emulating Jesse Owens?

Quick answer:

Death explains that Mr. Steiner's politics as a Nazi Party member underpin his anger over his son emulating Jesse Owens. In 1936, Jesse Owens, an African-American athlete, became a global icon by excelling at the Berlin Olympics. Young Alex Steiner idolizes Owens and imitates him by covering himself in charcoal. This act enrages Mr. Steiner, who believes in the Nazi ideology of racial superiority, viewing his son's admiration for Owens as demeaning to the "master race."

Expert Answers

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In 1936, the African-American athlete Jesse Owens captured the world's imagination with his remarkable feats at the Olympic Games in Berlin. Alex Steiner is just one of many people the world over who idolizes this great athlete. In fact, he wants to be like his idol so much that he pays him a bizarre tribute by covering himself in charcoal and running around a field.

When Alex's father finds out what he's been up to, he's absolutely furious. Herr Steiner is a member of the Nazi Party and is therefore a fanatical believer in the supremacy of the white race. He tells Alex that he should be proud of his blond hair and blue eyes, which to the Nazis are physical features associated with the so-called master race. For Herr Steiner, his son demeans himself and his race by covering himself in charcoal and looking up to someone his father, and the Party to which he belongs, regards as racially inferior.

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