Write a critical book review of 'The Assault' by Harry Mulisch. Discuss the various phases in remembering the Second World War. Reference at least Klep (2014), Van Ypersele (2010), and Assmann (2008).
The Assault, A tale of War written by Harry Mulisch. (Mulisch, 1986) Is 'a political thriller set during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands that explored innocence and guilt, collaboration and indifference.' (Simons, 2010). The book is split into five episodes that span from 1945 to 1981, throughout the years the reader follows Anton Steenwijk, the protagonist, grow from a twelve-year-old boy to a forty-eight-year-old man. During the years the book unravels the truth of what happened on the fateful night of 1945 where Fake Ploeg, a Nazi Inspector, got shot on Antons street. Anton meets different characters throughout the thirty-six years which help him piece together the full story of the terrible night.
As previously stated The Assault is told from the perspective of Anton, I believe the accuracy of Anton's experiences throughout the book would not have been genuinely portrayed without Mulisch first-hand experiences throughout The War. Therefore i find it is integral to include a brief history of Mulischs life. Not only did Mulisch write about war but within his autobiography he states "I am the second world war" (Horspool, 2003) As his father was from Austria-Hungary, who emigrated to the Netherlands and then worked for a German bank (which dealt with confiscated Jewish assets), during the occupation in The War (Simons, 2010). Mulischs mother, on the other hand, was from a Jewish descent who unfortunately was also the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust, mainly because of Mulisch's Fathers collaboration with the Nazis. (Horspool, 2003). Mulisch's life was unique which allows him to enable the reader to reflect on The War from two perspectives, a child of Nazi collaborator and a child of Jew. Considering his upbringing and his choice to write about war in several novels (e.g. The Assault and A Black Idyll) it is impossible for him to suppress his memories from The War itself. Mulischs efforts to not forget the War is presented in Anton's character, as Mulisch refuses to let Anton forget.
During the final episode, Mulisch allows the reader to believe that there may be a moment to allow Anton to be relieved of the painful memories but only time had passed. “And then … and then … and then … time passes” (Mulisch, 1986, p. 151). The same emotion is suggested in the second episode where Mulisch states "things don’t vanish all that easily” (Mulisch, 1986, p. 58) when Anton muses over the memory of the Nazi's burning his house down, his is reminded although the memories that house held vanished in front of him the emotions that the fire created do not. Anton's efforts to suppress his memories of The War is also reflecting on how the memories of The War is often suppressed in Dutch society today especially as 'newer historiography points out shades of grey during the war, blurring the lines around who is to blame' (Klep, 2014,p. 151). It has proven difficult for the whole society to accept The War they partook it despite efforts to avoid stay neutral. (Klep, 2014, p. 145) To help with the process, Dutch literature offers a source to reflect on the trauma of The War as it often speaks the brutal reality of The War itself. Books also allow the memories to last longer for further generations to remember what their ancestors experienced as the book will continue the living memory of The War as well as becoming a part of the official memory for Dutch society. (Horne and Van Ypersele, 2010, p. 576).
Once The Germans began to extort the Netherlands financially and began introducing the process of self-Nazification the Dutch typically became divided into three sections, Accommodation, the 'normal' reaction to the German regime where citizens kept their jobs but under the German occupation(Klep, 2014,p. 149 ). Collaboration, where citizens collaborated with the Nazis, usually for personal gain or ideological reasons(Klep, 2014,p. 149 ). And lastly, Resistance where around ten to twenty thousand people participated in resisting the Germans, typically in the form of protecting the Jews or relatiatlting the Nazis. (Klep, 2014, p.150) One resistant fighter was Jannetje Johanna Schaft or as history remembers her for, Hannie Schaft. Through her extraordinary acts of heroism throughout The War, it seems within the Assault, the character Truus Oversteegen, is an inspiration of Schaft.
In an attempt to remember all those that lost their lives to the Nazis irrational behaviours was the Nazis efforts to find Schafts true identity as she was wanted highly in by the Nazis. To do so, the Nazis planted a trap by sending her parents to a concentration camp (Atwood, 2013, p. 106) mirroring this incident within the fourth episode. When Anton is told about a discussion between Takes and Truus when Takes asked: “If a Nazi says that he’ll shoot either your mother or your father, that you have to choose which one or else he’ll shoot them both, what do you do?” (Mulisch, 1986 p. 141).By having Truus ask this question to Takes, Mulisch alters the real-life moment where Schaft had to choose between her identity staying a secret and surviving or her parents potentially dying in the gas chambers.
Furthering on another moment of Schafts life which is clearly reflective in the Assualt is that in June of 1944 Schaft and Bonekamp (Another resistance fighter) shot the police captain of Zaandam,(Atwood, 2013, p 105). The police officer then shot Bonekamp in the back as he rode off on his bike. In 1981 just a year before the release of the Assault the moment Bonekamp was shot of his bike was visualised in Ben Verbong film The Girl with the Red Hair; which was a historical film about Schaft and her years of being a resistant fighter (IMDb, n.d.). Mulisch echoes the moment of Bonekamp being shot of his bike in the first chapter where he states that ‘In the middle of the deserted street, in front of Mr Korteweg’s house, lay a bicycle with its upended front wheel still turning–a dramatic effect later used in close-ups in every movie about the Resistance’ (Mulisch, 1986 p. 16-17) which was inspired from the incident that happened with Bonekamp and also the film previously mentioned. To finalise how Mulisch continues to hold the memories of the incidents that happened in The War is that street name of which Schaft went into hiding was called Buitenrustlaan, and the street of the Steenwijks’ house was Buitenrust.
The reason it is essential to remember Schaft as a part of the second world war was that of what she did for the community can quickly be forgotten with the more rememberable elements of the war. She risked her life to save as many beings as she could. Not only that but 'After The War, the bodies of more than 400 resisters were found in the dunes [near Bloemendaal], all men and one woman – Hannie Schaft' (Atwood, 2013, p. 107). I believe Mulisch commemorates Schafts hard work through the character of Truus as she was indeed was a heroine of The War.
To conclude, I believe that Mulischs experience of The War enabled him to write an accurate representation of the different perspectives of the characters in the Assault. As the book has been translated into many different languages, Mulisch has allowed a worldwide audience to have an insight into what life was honestly like during The War in the Netherlands. Mulisch unique parents collaboration allowed Mulisch to write an open-minded perspective of The War and he was able to do that by using the different forms of memories. Not only did Mulisch share the experience of The War as an overall subject but he allowed moments of the book to recreate the different aspects of The War which may not be remembered otherwise. As a focus on throughout this essay; Hannie Schaft through the character of Truus. Schaft is able to live on through the character of Truus and be remembered further throughout the book. Mulisich uses so a fictional protagonist to create a memory for the non-fictional moments and characters through the story.