Vonnegut, Jr., Kurt. (1999). Mother Night. New York: Dell, 288 pp.

Grade Range: 10-12

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary and Critique

This novel, subtitled "The Confessions of Howard W. Campbell, Jr.," details the account of an American spy acting as a Nazi radio broadcaster in Germany during the Second World War. Writing from his jail cell, Campbell recants his role in the Nazi regime, his love for his deceased wife, his recruitment as an American spy, and the events leading up to his arrest and imprisonment by the nation of Israel (who assumes he really is the broadcaster he feigned to be during World War II). After the war, Howard W. Campbell, Jr. manages to fade into virtual anonymity, living in an apartment in Greenwich Village in New York. Once the publisher of the White Christian Minuteman discovers Campbell's presence, however, the secret is out, and Campbell's life begins to spin out of control toward inevitability, as he encounters many ghosts of his past along the way.

Vonnegut's style is critical and sarcastic. This is a great text for teaching satire, which requires a mature readership. The subject matter also requires a degree of maturity as it encompasses violence, sexuality, and adult language. Vonnegut comments on the work in its introduction, saying that the moral of the story is that"we are what we pretend to be." This idea is a great topic of discussion throughout the novel and from numerous perspectives.

Themes/Topic

War and Peace

The Holocaust

The Individual vs. society

Love, Sex, and Romance

Challenges and Triumphs

Author Information

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was a prisoner of war in Dresden during the fire bombings in World War II, an event that has shaped many of his novels. His first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1952. Since then he has published numerous critically acclaimed novels such as Sirens of Titan, Cat's Cradle, and his most notable, Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut has stayed active, publishing Timequake ,his final novel, in 1997. His style is thought provoking, philosophical, always satirical.

For more information on Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.:

http://www.kurtvonnegut.com Current information about the author as well as a bibliography and information about some of his novels.

Media Connections

Movies/Documentaries

Schindler's List (1993) – Graphic and poignant portrayal of the Nazi concentration camps during WWII. This film would definitely require parental consent unless a clip was very carefully chosen.

Mother Night (1996) – A film version of the novel starring Nick Nolte and introducing Kirsten Dunst. Fairly accurate with the book, but misses a lot of the irony and satire as these elements are largely in Vonnegut's style. A good backup after reading the b4teens_book.

Down With Love (2003) – A much more playful way to address identity and roles. In this film many characters pretend to be something else, confusing others as well as themselves about their identities. Various clips can be very effective.

I Heart Huckabees (2004) – The movie deals with existential crises and can be used to address big issues such as the question of,"if you pretend to be something, are you that or are you yourself?" What constitutes our true selves?

The Wave (1981) – A short movie originally airing on television in which a group of students form an organization, under the guidance of a teacher, that becomes elitist and dangerous. The ultimate message points to the dangers of conformity and blind faith in an idea.

Max (2003) – Film starring John Cusack as a Jewish art collector who has contact with Hitler prior to WWII. The movie explores Hitler's fascination with art, and subsequently, propaganda. This can relate to the importance of morale and propaganda during a war.

Good Morning Vietnam (1987) – A film that emphasizes the importance of morale in the form of a radio broadcaster during the Viet Nam war – a great link to the personality of Howard W. Campbell, Jr. in Mother Night.

In the Time of Butterflies. (2001). In 1960, three sisters attempted to bring down the Dominican Republic government and were murdered as a result.

The Boxer (1997) An Irish man formerly imprisoned for his involvement with the IRA opens a boxing facility in an attempt to start a new life.

Television

Fatherland (1994) – A TV movie special that explores what the world would be like if Germany had won the Second World War.

Band of Brothers (2001) – HBO mini-series about WWII, based on the nonfiction of author Stephen Ambrose.

Music/Audio Recordings

"Westfall." Lyrics by Will Sheff and Okkervil River. From Don't Fall In Love With Everything You See. 2001. (A couple of young, presumably wealthy, probably high school age, kids murder a girl. The link to the text is simply that appearances can be deceiving.)

Online Resources

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,10866859%255E24909,00.html An article referencing a quote from Vonnegut's introduction to the novel, and expanding on the idea of self and how it is defined.

www.hmh.org The Web site for the Holocaust Museum of Houston. This Web site contains information about current exhibits and the museum itself.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ A seemingly unlimited amount of information about many aspects of the Second World War (e.g. the Third Reich, propaganda, Allied involvement, etc.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II A free online encyclopedia article about the fire bombings in Dresden. (Connected to the text as this event is mentioned in the introduction and it heavily influenced Vonnegut's writing. Also, it occurred during WWII.)

http://www.annefrank.com/2_teachers_curriculum.htm Offers curriculum to teachers based on The Diary of Anne Frank. A great resource for teachers needing ideas or information.

http://ps044.k12.sd.us/Nonfiction/holocaust.htm Contains questions and evaluations for a multi-genre paper over Elie Wiesel's Night, as well as examples of completed student projects. This is a great resource for a great assignment that teachers should take advantage of.

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/spies/ Provides information about female spies during various wars.

http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_world_spies.html Information about spies during the Revolutionary War.

http://www.duboislc.net/read/Dabneys.html An excerpt from a book on an African American couple who served as spied during the Civil War.

http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_radio.htm An article on the history of radio broadcasting.

Related Texts

Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. Almost every character in this play adopts a disguise. This is a great classical connection to identity and pretending to be someone else. Many of Shakespeare's plays will work, so don't feel limited to this one.

Wiesel, Elie. (1960). Night. Tr. by Stella Rodway. New York: Bantam. A memoir of a boy's days in a Nazi concentration camp. Haunting and powerful, this book pins down the gravity of the atrocities of WWII. It would act as a good balance with the satire and dark comedy of Vonnegut.

Rochman, Hazel, and McCampbell, Darlene Z. (1999). Bearing Witness: Stories of the Holocaust. New York: Orchard Books. An anthology of young-adult literature about the Holocaust. The vast majority is nonfiction, much of it from well-known writers like Elie Wiesel, but the collection in its entirety is very powerful. A great introduction to the Holocaust.

Spiegelman, Art. (1986 & 1991). Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History and And Here My Troubles Began. New York: Pantheon. A graphic novel detailing the life of a mouse during World War II. A very accessible yet informative and useful way to introduce the subject matter and/or to get students to connect to it.

Styron, William. (1992). Sophie's Choice. New York: Vintage. This novel encompasses content related to WWII as well as an extended example of the literary element of irony. Sophie's father supports the Third Reich, but she ends up being imprisoned by them in a concentration camp and has to make arguably the hardest decision one person has ever had to make.

Lowry, Lois. (1998). Number the Stars. New York: Laurel Leaf. A great young adult piece of literature about the Holocaust and World War II. With subject matter that can hold the attention of more advanced students, but be accessible to less advanced students, this novel is a great way to get a diverse class on the same page.

Schiff, Hilda. (1996). Holocaust Poetry. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. This collection of poems is useful for some short pieces to reflect on and learn from. Diversifying the medium of literature is a great thing to do to enhance understanding of a broad theme or topic. Schiff's collection enables teachers to do just that.

Mandela, Nelson. (1994). Long Walk to Freedom: Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Boston: Little, Brown. 558pp. Mandela describes his life from his childhood is a rural area through his twenty-seven year prison sentence to the personal struggles he experienced because of his desire to help others.

Gordon, Ruth. (1995). Pierced by a Ray of Sun: Poems About the Times We Feel Alone. New York: Harper Collins. 105pp. A poetry anthology that addresses themes of alienation and loneliness.

Teaching Ideas

(1)"Two Sides to Everything" Have students write down a clear, concise position on a controversial issue – it should be the opinion with which they most identify. Then, have the students construct an argument for the opposite side of the issue. This activity should first help students to understand the difficulty in adhering to or writing about something that one does not believe in. Secondarily, some students may be able to see how they began convincing even themselves with their arguments, playing into the idea that we are what we pretend to be.

[Adapted slightly from "Two Sides to Everything" by Mary Ann Lind in Ideas Plus Book 3. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, p. 49.]

(2)"A Speech That's Almost Fun" This lesson, originally intended to help students get over their fear of public speaking, entails students getting up and telling a story of a life experience that doesn't have to be true. While the activity can still fulfill this purpose, it takes on a new dimension in light of Mother Night. Students will be able to act, putting themselves in a situation similar to that of Howard W. Campbell, Jr. The story is supposed to sound true, and the goal is to fool the audience. When successful, students will be underscoring the fact that it is easy to perceive something in a way that is not accurate.

[Adapted slightly from "A Speech That's Almost Fun" by Linda S. Gardill in Ideas Plus Book12. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of Englsih, p. 13.]

(3)"Scar Stories" Explain to students the marks that were tattooed onto the Jews in concentration camps, not to mention the scars and marks that are sure to be left from torture and abuse – mental and physical. Ask students to think about their own scars. Have students draw a stick figure, marking their scars on it, and briefly describing how they got them. These can be great springboards for personal narratives later on.

[Adapted slightly from "Scar Stories" by Sue Weems in Ideas Plus Book 18. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp. 9-10.]

(Review written by Bryan Parker and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)