Character Clues
Character Analysis
Clothing
How could we mention clothing as a tool of characterization without talking about Grandma Bronski's four-layered skirts? For Oskar, his grandmother is more or less defined by her skirts. He likes to hide under the skirts because they make him feel safe from the world. They're heavy and warm, even if they do smell a little. In a lot of ways, Grandma Bronski's skirts tell us everything we need to know about her. She's compassionate, practical and hearty, which is why she wears four skirts to keep the cold out. The potato coloring of these skirts suggests that she doesn't replace them often, just rotates them so she doesn't have to wash them as often. The potato reference reminds us of Grandma Bronski's rural roots.
In sharp contrast is Oskar's description of Alfred trying on his Nazi uniform:
If I remember correctly, he began with the Party cap, which he enjoyed wearing, even in sunny weather, with the storm strap chafing his chin. For a time he donned a white shirt and black tie with his cap, or a windbreaker with an armband. When he bought his first brown shirt, he wanted to buy the s***-brown riding breeches and high boots a week later. Mama objected […]. (9.32)
This passage tells us a lot about Alfred—he's a bit ridiculous and definitely a striver, trying to aspire to the Nazi ideal and not quite making it. It's the opposite of Grandma Bronski's practical frugality.
Family Life
Oskar comes from what we'd call today a "dysfunctional" family. He's not sure who his father is: his mother's husband or the man his mother's having an affair with. He regularly hears his mother and her lover having sex. His presumptive father marries a teenager after his mother dies, a woman who was Oskar's lover. We think they call this having "boundary issues." Can anyone sane possibly come out of this family? We know from the start that this boy's gonna have problems.
In fact, we don't really see a single "normal" family in the novel. Grass thought that German petite bourgeois society—the lower-middle class—was pretty deluded during the Nazi era, and he manages to get his point across in his depiction of the families.
Sex
With the possible exception of Oskar's relationship with Roswitha, and that's not even a lock since she's his mentor's girlfriend, all the sex in this novel is adulterous, non-consensual, pedophilic, or incestuous (well, at least they're just cousins). Remember what we said about boundaries? Ditto. Just another statement about how sick this society is, according to the author. And nobody seems to care except Oskar's mother, who probably kills herself because she can't tolerate it.
Thoughts and Opinions
Thoughts and opinions are the key tool of characterization in this novel because Oskar's thoughts and opinions are all we have to go on except a brief interlude from his caretaker. But Grass wants us to question Oskar's thoughts and opinions, by telling us in the first line that Oskar is in a mental hospital. The author told the BBC that he saw Oskar as a mirror of German society, but that it was like a fun-house mirror—exaggerated and distorted. He saw Oskar as a broken person, just as the German people were sick and broken.
And Oskar's opinions and judgments are very harsh and exaggerated. He gives us his unique picture of his family, friends, Nazis, Red Army soldiers, children, and hoodlums. He respects very few people and sees people in general as ridiculous and corrupt. He's not beyond appreciating special skills, though: Maria's sturdy personality, Bebra's confidence, Störtebaker's quiet leadership of the Dusters. He seems to approve of strong people who don't make excuses for themselves or try to be someone they aren't.