Gunter Grass

The Tin Drum

Characters

• rise of Nazism- effect of WW II- Danzig

• Book One

• Oskar Matzerath- memoirs ( 1952 -1954)-Unreliable narrator

• Bruno Munsterberg- Oskar's keeper

• Anna Bronski- grandmother

• Joseph Koljaiczek - grandfather,

• Agnes Koljaiczek- mother.

• Jan Bronski- Agnes' cousin and lover-presumptive father

• Alfred Matzerath- Agnes' husband.

Book 2

• Maria Truczinski- hired girl to help run his store

• Bebra: Runs the theatrical troupe of dwarfs

• Roswitha Raguna: Bebra's mistress- then Oskar's.

• "The Dusters“-Danzig street gang

Book 3

• Dorothe- A nurse- Oskar's love after Maria

• Egon Münzer (Klepp): Oskar's friend. Self-proclaimed communist and jazz flautist.

• Gottfried Vittlar: Friend

Plot summary

• opening line- “Granted: I am an inmate of a mental hospital”-Oscar

• Whether-trust-narrator Confined- mental hospital 1952-54

• Different versions of his story

• only remember the earliest parts of his life-drumming -tin drum

• born with a completely disfunctioning intellect

• obsessively play- tin drum- only wish

• discovers another magical skill- can shatter glass with his voice.

• Kashubian grandmother Anna Bronski-her improbable impregnation by Joseph Koljaiczek

• eludes police by hiding under Anna’s four skirts-potato field.

• Agnes- falls in love-cousin Jan Bronski-marries Alfred Matzerath-nurses during the world war

• Germany and Poland

• Confused throughout

• Oscar-mental development completed at birth

• chooses childhood pursuits over adult responsibilities

• Alfred Matzerath- promise-grocery

• Decided to stop growth

• drums his way through life-shatters glass-a way of coping with-family- political events going on

• Preferred-mother’s promise of a tin drum- third birthday

• treasured possession- willing to commit violence to retain

• Mother dies-Father-Maria-Oscar- secret mistress

• Tin drum-allows mutely-voice-protest against the meaninglessness-world

• also allows him to re-create the history of his consciousness-to recall in the varied music of the drum the rhythms-mind’s apprehensions of the world around him

• Gives birth to possible son-Kurt

• Didn’t stop growing

• During the war-Oskar joins- troupe of performing dwarfs- entertain the German troops

• second love- Roswitha killed- the invasion of Normandy

• Oskar returns-family-Danzig- becomes the leader of a criminal youth gang

• Russian army captures Danzig- Alfred shot

• Must leave-stepmother-son

• Work of engraving tombstones

• Live apart-Dorothea-neighbor-affair

• encounter with fellow musician Klepp- Oskar-drum-sticks breaks-vow-never play again after Alfred's death

• Klepp-Oskar-Scholle,a guitarist

• form the Rhine River- three jazz band-discovered -Mr. Schmuh-Onion Cellar club-

• a record company talent seeker discovers Oskar the jazz drummer- offers a contract

• soon achieves fame and riches

• walking through a field he finds a severed finger-Sister Dorothea-murdered

• falsely convicted of the murder-confined to insane asylum- writes his memoirs.