Anirvin Narayan P7

A Reflective Statement for the IO on Brodecks Report

Brodecks Report as a novel is defined by the overwhelming ambiguity that exists in the
form of the text, the characters and as a result the experience of the reader. This contradiction
allowed us to approach the content of the novel from varied perspectives making the interactive oral
an enriching experience.
An interesting aspect of the novel is its contextual relevance to Nazism with the novel being
an allegorical representation of the holocaust. As such, my group decided to present on the extent to
which Brodecks Report is holocaust literature. A idea we came across was that of the survival
accounts of holocaust victims which were a prominent feature in holocaust literature. The purpose
of this was to honour the memory of the fallen, showcasing human resilience and courage. In the
book, Brodeck acts as the voice of the victims,with Kelmar remarking youll tell the story for me,
and youll tell it for everybody else. However, Brodeck accounts his experience as both, a victim
and a criminal. Since he was a victim of holocaust cruelty and yet inhabits a body he stole long
ago by stealing the water of a dying woman, he embodies this dichotomy. The recognition of this
duality reshaped my understanding of Brodeck as a communicator in the novel establishing the
absence of an absolute good or evil.
Another group pointed to dilution of humanity and the morals of an individual in the face of
fire as fear holds them by the balls controlling their actions thereafter. They argued that the reason
for the great black void of inhumanity that dominates Brodecks society is due to fear, of
foreigners and of death. Although I felt that this was not absolute, it helped me understand the
parallels between the universal idea of human evil and destruction embodied in Brodecks context
by the Nazi regime.
Initially, I interpreted the novel as simply a mans experience in an emotionally and morally
destitute world. By shedding light on the universality of issues such as the fear of the unknown and
the truth in the novel, the IO deepened my understanding of the book.
In conclusion, Brodecks Report paints a picture of society from the perspective of a
foreigner who represents right and wrong simultaneously surrounded by polarising figures. Through
this, Claudel showcases the truth of a divided modern society providing the opportunity for
reflection in a divided world.
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