“In this country, we had to walk, eat, sleep and love in fear.”
As one of the German minorities in Romania, the unnamed narrator and her peers face mistreatment from the totalitarian Romanian government. Living in a corrupt government that is run by a dictator gives allowance for so much paranoia that everything is done in fear. Moreover, being among the populace of the individuals who are targeted by the government. Thus, this creates an environment where every freedom is deprived hence any action is executed with caution.
“No cities can grow in a dictatorship, because everything stays small when it’s being watched.
Dictatorship fosters instability and vice versa especially a nation recovering from the aftermath of warfare. This is the situation with the Romanian government during this period and the narrator paints this state of affairs. The state of paranoia and fear inhibits the actions of people thus civilization stays stagnant either economically or socially. Thus, the narrator’s observation of this dynamic prompts the statement.
“Women always need other women to lean on. They become friends in order to hate each other better. The more they hate each other, the more inseparable they become.”
The unnamed narrator deliberates on the complex rapport that exists between women in a particular social circle. Sharing a dormitory room with Lola and five other girls, the narrator illustrates the relationship that they all share. Thus, describes the ambiguity of female friendships, unlike the relationships that exist between their male counterparts. The loathing they sometimes harbor towards each other is what makes their bond of friendship even much stronger.
