Key Quotes Episode 1... The Assault

Here are some key quotes from this episode:

• "Even before the catastrophe occurred, Anton used to think that Carefree meant a place where cares entered freely, not a place free from cares; just as someone could think priceless meant without cost, rather than beyond price." Prologue, p. 3
• "It was January, nineteen forty-five. Almost all of Europe had been liberated and was once more rejoicing, eating, drinking, making love, and beginning to forget the War. But every day Haarlem looked more like one of those spent grey clinkers that they used to take out of the stove, when there had still been coal to burn." First Episode, 1945, p. 9 
• “Not until people are called Adolf again will the Second World War be really behind us. But that means we’d have to have a third world war, which would mean the end of Adolfs forever.” Episode 1945, p.13

Key Themes

The key themes in The Assault are:

• Aftermath of tragedy
• Family
• Cruelty of War

In your own words explain what each one means and the different ways it is developed in the first Episode of the novel?

Prologue and First Episode, 1945 Summary

Harry Mulisch, a contemporary Dutch writer, was born in Haarlem, much like his protagonist Anton Steenwijk. Mulisch's mother was Jewish and lost her family to the concentration camps and his father was a Nazi collaborator who was jailed after the war. This gives Mulisch a unique point of view on the war, suggesting a highly personal connection to the characters of his novel.

The Prologue:

The writer describes the neighbourhood in which the Steenwijks lived. There are four houses set close together along a quay that is bordered by water. Each of the houses bears a name. The first is Hide-away, belonging to the Beumers, then Carefree, where the Steenwijks live. Next to the Steenwijks is Home at Last, where Mr. Korteweg lives with his adult daughter.

Blog Posts

Your first task is to create a blog post discussing the context of the novel. You need to include all of the dates that we discussed in class eventually, but for now discuss the context in relation to the first episode in the novel.

The dates you researched and we discussed were:

• Holland during WW11
• 1945
• 1952
• 1956
• 1966
• 1981

You have one week to write your first post and we will all be reading them and commenting in class next week.

My first post

Gentlemen,

This is an example to post to help you understand how a blog works... you write down your thoughts and feelings about the novel we are reading as you read it....

You are expected to blog once a week about the novel, this will help you to understand the novel and give you a source of revision for grade 12.

Your first blog is due one week from today and must be about the context of the novel from the research, discussion and presentations we did last week.

Good Luck :)