An Analysis of "The Beauty of The Dawn Shift" a short story from Rose Tremain
Introduction
In this case of study, it is important that analyzing literary work from the social life that happen at a time of literary work is made. It can be seen on sociological aspect. It is because some literary works talk about events, conditions, or things that commonly happen in daily life.
Moreover, some literary works can be a reflection of some images or figures which really exist and live. Literary works can also draw some conditional event that may can make people realize of something that sometimes can be seen or felt.
Talking about social life and condition which is reflected in Beauty of the dawn shift, it would be wise to look at the social condition in Germany in 1989, as the story take place in Germany in around that time.
In this case, it is good to look back at the event that happened in Germany some years ago. The fall of Berlin Wall and the effect that is brought up with it to the Border Police in around that time.
It is just a reflection of social condition in Germany in 1989 toward certain people. Some other aspects can be reflected in this story, such as patriotism, communism, utopian, and dystopian can also be observed.
Analysis
The Border Police
After Germany has been divided into two, East Germany and West Germany, many people from East Germany tried to flee to West Germany. Because of it, the communist government of East Germany built a wall to separate the two countries. However, there were still a lot of people tried to escape from East Germany to West Germany. Therefore, East Germany commanded Border Police to guard near the wall, in this case, Border Police was ordered to prevent people to jump over the wall and to escape to the west. Actually, Border Police was ordered to shoot if it was necessary to stop fleeing. But, in fact, some Border Police used to shoot and kill people. Some Border Police or Border Guard who did shoot and stop someone from fleeing could get reward of up to 500 Marks. On the other hand, The Border Police might not shoot, but they would lose their well-paid job.
The Fall of Berlin Wall
The fall of Berlin Wall may become the most happening event in Germany in 1989 that affected a lot of people especially people in East Germany and West Germany. In November 1989, The Berlin Wall was torn down. It is marked of the end of communism in East Germany. Berlin wall was built in 1961 and torn down 1989. It remained for about 28 years. When the communism in East Germany failed, it seemed became the most appropriate reason to fall it down because the wall itself was built by communist government of East Germany.
The effect of the fall of Berlin Wall had been a huge news and vast number of people waited for it excitedly. However, in some other side, there were some people who might be not too excited to celebrate it, The Border Police.
In some cases, The Border Police had become the most accused figure after falling of Berlin Wall. Some Border Police were arrested and sentenced to death remembering their previous tasks. Some Border Police were accused because they considered as killers of killing and shooting people who wanted to escape from East Germany at that time. The judges often said that shooting over people were against human right, so they should have refused it.
The reflection towards Beauty of the dawn shift
The Beauty of the dawn shift written by Rose Tremain is a story about a young man named Hector S. He was a border police in East Germany. The story takes place in East Germany, a month after the Berlin wall was falling down. Hector S was a border police who wanted to go east, to Russia, after knowing the Berlin wall was torn down. He was willing to leave his love who is actually his sister, named Ute, his father, Erich, and Elvira, his mother who had passed away nine years before the falling of Berlin Wall. He looked for silence. He wished for peace and serenity in east. He wanted to do it, because he was sick of the people in East Germany.
…… and these object reminded Hector of the day when he’d been stopped by a group of Wessies, dress in pink and green shell suits, who had asked him the way to Alexanderplatz ‘What have you come to see?’ he’d asked them, more out of habit than out of interest, and they had laughed and swigged expensive beer and said ‘Oh, we’ve come to the East German closing-down sale! Many bargains. Everything must go’ And it had been at this moment and not any other than Hector S had decided to leave his country and leave Ute and cycle to Russia. He said to himself, I’m not going because I’m afraid. I’m going because these people make me feel sick
From the line shown above, it can be vaguely seen that Hector S really wanted to leave because of the people. He even had a plan to cycle to Russia in a such cold weather in December. It might become the reflection of border police at that time when the border police was no longer needed after the fall of Berlin wall. Hector S might feel betrayed and tricked after the Berlin wall was torn down. His loyal job could not exist and he was jobless and people began to neglect and mock at him.
Hector S decided to go to Russia, but before that he went to Elvira’s cemetery. There, he met a young boy who tried to steal bulb. Hector was trying to make a young leave the grave yard and not steal bulb by mentioning that he was a Border Police and showed his rifle. However, the boy seemed not afraid and started to mock at him.
‘Who are you?’ he said
‘Border Police,’ announced Hector.
‘Border Police?’
‘Yes.’
The youth boy stood up straight and laughed. ‘Border Police! The border is down, or didn’t anyone tell you? You mean the didn’t tell you?’
At this point, Hector S as a border police was even more ignored, he was like no one who ever exist in a such certain condition, where a border was really matter. Just because the border was torn away, he was likely a person who was no longer needed. The same way as border police fate at that time, they became the most accused figure after the fall of Berlin wall, in the case of shooting to kill people who wanted to escape from East German to West German.
It could become the most reasonable thing of Hector’s decision went to east. Once, Erich, his father said
‘All right’ said Erich, ‘but remember, when you walk away from one place, you are inevitably walking towards another’
‘I know that,’ said Hector ‘That’s why I’m going east’
From this statement, it might be seen that Hector S really wanted to go to east because he thought he might find something in east. He seemed so tired about west and western. When the people were looking for west, he was alone looking for east. When Berlin wall still existed a lot of people tried to jump over it from east to west, some lucky were successfully escaped to west, some of them were arrested and sent to jail, and many of them were killed. As a border police, Hector S might be sick of escaping to the west or fleeing to west or looking for west. So he decided to go to east and looked for silence.
Moreover, this story wants to say about patriotism inside Hector S. In the tiredness of his people, he still had a hope of having people out there in Russia who would want to talk with him, not to be ignored by public. Hector S was apparently a communist and a patriot. He even travelled from East Germany to Russia wearing his uniform proudly.
He’d been a communist and a patriot. He wanted to stand up in this cheap Marzahn café and say : ‘My name is Hector S and, to me, the word “patriot” is not a dirty one.’
Here, Hector S character wanted to show that for some Border Police, it was alright to have communism and patriotism in his life, although, it was all over as if the wall had fallen down. It was alright for some border police to idealize west ideology, but still bring with him his communism and patriotism life. It was a pride.
In his journey to Russia, Hector S found some difficulties, he was so tired of his heavy knapsack which hurt his back, he felt ill of cold, and something else he couldn’t name. He was about forty kilometers inside Poland when he fell ill. Fortunately, a man saved him. He was a freight train driver between Poznan and Warsaw. His wife, Katarzyna didn’t like when her husband helped a uniformed man who fainted on the road. Even, Katarzyna didn’t treat him well, she considered to have a lemon as the first and the last gift from German soldier.
‘This is the first gift I’ve ever had from a German. And the last.’
Things might be different before the fall of Berlin Wall. Katarzyna might treat him better because German soldier had some power at that time. However, in contrast, after the fall of Berlin Wall, German soldier had no more power to at least frighten some people inside or outside German. Even, a man in a uniformed.
Hector S continued his journey. The train driver drove him a truck, with his knapsack and bicycle along with him. They travelled from Poznan to Warsaw. After getting to Warsaw, he asked another driver to put him in another freight going East. Inside the freight car, he was thinking about Poland and imagining a letter to Ute. Describing how beautiful Russia was and told Ute to immediately come to Russia by the next train from Berlin. Although, he didn’t know yet how Russia was. He even didn’t get there yet. It reflected how utopian world affected Hector S. He was wondering of Russia. He was seeking silence in east. He was hoping for something beautiful in Russia.
Unfortunately, in his cold journey, he was found dead by the second train driver the next morning. He was getting in Russia, but He didn’t find any beauty of it.
Hector was lying face up, one arm behind his head that rested on his knapsack. His face had the pallor of bone, but there was a smile on it, as if, in his last moments. Hector had glimpsed something of great beauty.
However, at the last of the story, a utopian world of Hector S was merely ended, he was successfully reached Russia, but he would never see the beauty of it. It marked the dystopian world. Dystopian is world which is contrast to utopian. Looking for silence, peace, serenity, freedom, and beauty were only a utopian world which existed in his mind. In fact, to reach all of these, nothing seemed easy or even beautiful. And the end, dystopian seemed more stronger than utopian.
Conclusion
1. The author wanted to say that life of Border Police seemed neglected and ignored after the fall of Berlin Wall. Border Police was jobless and mocked by people around.
2. For some people, especially Border Police patriotism and communism still maintained inside him, proudly said that he supported communism and also a patriot, although he might not be able to avoid west ideology that successfully torn down communism, and communism failed to East Germany, marked by the fall of Berlin Wall. When everyone else went to west, the main character chose to go east and met his end of life. It reflected the failing and falling of East.
3. Utopian world, when the main character imagined in looking for silence. It might be concluded as freedom and beauty. The way he described about Russia was so much beautiful, seemed like he had really feel it. It was only in his imagination. It showed how some certain people dreamed about going east and had new beautiful life in such place at that time.
4. Dystopian world, when the main character found difficulties and finally he died. It reflected that how such a dream of such beautiful places and thought at that time couldn’t be true at that time. Many dreamed of east could give a new role model, but in fact in was fall and died. And dystopian world seemed can described how terrible world after The Fall of Berlin Wall for certain people at that time.
Bibliography
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Border_guards_of_the_inner_German_border
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