Heroism
A prominent theme in Watch on the Rhine is the display of heroism in perilous situations. With the exception of the villain Teck, all characters demonstrate various levels of bravery when faced with tough choices. Kurt emerges as the most evident hero, having endured bullet wounds and broken bones inflicted by the fascists, yet he remains steadfast in his fight to overthrow them. When he realizes he must return to Germany to liberate his comrades, he is aware of the risk of capture, torture, and likely death. However, his fears do not waver his commitment to his cause or his decision to leave. Sara and the children also reveal their heroic spirit as they bear the separation from the husband and father they love dearly, providing Kurt with their unwavering support.
Fanny and David unexpectedly find themselves acting heroically by the play's conclusion. Initially shocked by Kurt's killing of Teck, they choose to risk trouble with the authorities and potentially from the fascists who are pursuing Kurt, as they too come to believe in his mission. They decide to assist in covering his tracks and provide him with money to help free his comrades.
Although not directly called upon to act heroically, Marthe exhibits courage, particularly since she admits to being "frightened" her entire life. She confronts Teck, seemingly for the first time, insisting that he leave Kurt alone. Later in the play, she musters the courage to leave Teck, who has dominated her since she was a teenager.
Duty and Responsibility
The brave actions of several characters in the play arise from their commitment to duty and responsibility. Kurt feels obligated to his fellow countrymen, who have been murdered by the Nazis, and to all those who suffer under fascism. When Fanny pleads with him to allow someone else, someone without a family, to take on the dangerous task of continuing the fight, he tells her that anyone could find an excuse not to dedicate themselves to the cause. He decided long ago that he couldn’t simply "stay by now and watch" as fascists destroy others’ lives.
Sara and the children are dedicated to the cause and particularly to supporting Kurt, even to the extent of helping cover up Teck’s murder. David and Fanny show a sense of duty and responsibility to Sara and her family by taking them in, assisting Kurt in escaping, and resolving to face the consequences of their actions.
Ignorance
The theme of ignorance is depicted as naïveté, with Fanny gradually discovering life beyond her sheltered existence. After being stunned by the hardships Sara and her family have faced, Joshua comments on Fanny's naïveté by telling her that she "has not seen much of the world." She acknowledges this truth by the play's conclusion, admitting to David, "we are shaken out of the magnolias, eh?"
Fanny’s ignorance serves as a metaphor for the general ignorance among many Americans in the late 1930s, who were reluctant to engage in what they perceived as a European issue. Although Americans were aware of the Nazi threat, they couldn't fathom its impact on their lives. Through Hellman’s skillful weaving of the play’s themes, she cautions that everyone could potentially be affected by the dangers of fascism and that ignoring the facts might empower those in control.
Anti-Fascism
Watch on the Rhine has as its central theme anti-Fascism, which was one of the fundamental issues of the 1930’s and early 1940’s. Perhaps no group of Americans of the period was more concerned with European political and social events than were members of the artistic community. Lillian Hellman was...
(This entire section contains 157 words.)
Unlock this Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
among those who sought to use her art as a means to alter the attitudes of play-going Americans, many of whom were untouched by the war in Europe. Her purpose, as she described it in her autobiographical work,Pentimento (1973), was “to write a play about nice, liberal Americans whose lives would be shaken up by Europeans, by a world the new Fascists had won because the old values had long been dead.” In her play, the anti-Fascist refugee, Kurt Muller, kills the immoral European aristocrat, Teck de Brancovis, and in so doing helps to awaken the American conscience to the real and present danger of world tyranny.
Inequalities of Wealth and Poverty
Beneath the surface, a lesser theme of the play highlights Hellman’s concern with the inequalities of wealth and poverty. She further sees differences between the customs and values of Americans of money and privilege and those of Europeans—on the one hand, there are members of the aristocracy and, on the other, there are the educated Europeans, dedicated to the cause of freedom, regardless of the cost. Fanny Farrelly, whose position of wealth is secure, is surrounded by servants who are among her best friends. The French housekeeper and the black butler are accustomed to her style and are not daunted by her occasional attempted insults. There is humor in their exchanges, and an outsider might even envy their easy relationships. One is certain that the Romanian count, however, would not have been on such familiar terms with servants, had he been in a financial position which allowed him to maintain his own household. He, unlike Fanny, has no sense of humor. Life is a serious and treacherous business for him, because he has no means of his own and finds it expedient to live at the expense of others, using bribery or blackmail if necessary. By contrast, Kurt Muller and his family are poor but dedicated, and they exhibit among them the kind of love and warmth which does not exist between Teck and Marthe de Brancovis and which is not easily shown by Fanny for her family.
