Summary Innocent


Herman Broch

Innocent

I. A young man, no older than twenty, without a hat, slightly drunk, wandered into the bar to drink beer. At the next table two people are talking, a man’s, almost boyish voice and the voice of a woman, thoracic, motherly. The young man is too lazy to turn his head in their direction, he imagines that this is the mother and the son. The conversation is about money, they need a woman – loving, concerned. The young man just died mother, before that he buried his father. He would very much like to take care of his mother, because his income in South Africa is constantly growing. In addition, he receives income from the Dutch inheritance of his father, who reliably placed. Here, in Paris, he has a tightly stuffed purse, he is ready to share with this woman. Maybe then she would want to live with him, he would not be prevented now by the mother’s caress of some woman. And you can commit suicide and leave her own money. It’s so simple,

it’s just not clear where the thought of suicide came from. The young man begins to insert his phrases into the conversation of the couple, it seems to him that their voices and destinies are “intertwined.” He remembers his name – Andreas – and asks him to call him A. Then he falls asleep for a moment, and when he wakes up, the pair has already disappeared. A. wants to pay for them to the waiter, but everything has already been paid.

II. Taking for example the hero from the middle-class environment, it is possible to demonstrate the unity and universality of the world processes. The hero lives in a provincial German town. In 1913, the hero serves as a junior high school teacher, teaches mathematics and physics. As an individual, “constructed from mediocre material,” he does not have thoughts and philosophical questions. He is determined to the end by his environment. His name is not significant, you can call him Tsakharias. Did he ever think about something that went beyond math problems? Of course, about women, for example. There comes a time for “erotic shock”.

Accidentally, outside the house, he encounters the daughter of his landlady, next to whom he lived quietly for several years. It turns out that they love each other with the Philippines. Soon comes to the “
This way – from “wretchedness to the divine” – not for mediocre natures. The other course of events is more natural and natural, when the couple finally arrive at Mamochka, exhausted by expectation, and Tsakharias kneels to receive a blessing.
III. The newly arrived A. examines the station area of ​​the city, which has the form of a triangle. In it there is something beckoning, magical, and he wants to become a resident here.
A. takes a room in the house of Baroness V., who is constrained in the means. In the yard of 1923, after the war lost by Germany, inflation is rampant. A., a merchant associated with diamond mines in South Africa, always has money. The Baroness lives with her daughter Hildegard and an old servant, the Baroness’s husband has died. A. immediately understands that the relationship in the family is very complicated. Hildegard demonstrates his displeasure at the appearance of a male resident, but obeys the will of his mother. A. could find himself another haven, but it seems that fate itself brought it here. He notices that all three women are similar to each other. In this “triangle” the baroness represents the “maternal type”, and in the faces of the servant Tserlina and Hildegard there is something monastic, some “timelessness”. Having descended to the conversation with the tenant, Hildegard informs him on the very first evening that her task is to take care of her mother and keep peace in the house, a world established by her father. A. comes to the conclusion that this is a strange girl, tough, full of “unfulfilled desires.”
IV. Once he was a master in drawing tools, had a wife, they were waiting for a child. During childbirth, both the wife and the child died. The aging widower took a newborn girl from the orphanage and called her Melitta. The girl finished school and now works in the laundry. The old father becomes a wandering beekeeper. Wandering with a song across the fields, he admires the “great creation of the creator”, teaches people how to work with bees. Over the years, he is approaching the “nature of being,” the cognition of life and death. The old man returns home for a short time and reluctantly, fearing that the oddities of his fate can “twist the line of life” of a young inexperienced being.
V. A. loves to live in comfort. Money is given to him easily, now he buys houses and land for discounted stamps. He gives pleasure to give money. He does not like to make decisions, fate itself does a good job for him, and he obeys her, without losing, however, vigilance, albeit with a sufficient amount of laziness.
On one Sunday morning, Zerlina gives him old family secrets. The Baroness gave birth to Hildegard not from the baron, but from the friend of the von Yoon family, Nobody knew that the maid had guessed everything, gloated and acted in her own interests. At that time, Zerlina was a cute and “appetizing” girl from the village. After an unsuccessful attempt to seduce the ascetic baron, the judge, she quickly manages to seduce the background of Yun, tearing him away from another mistress. The latter suddenly died in the so-called Hunting Lodge. Von Jun was arrested on suspicion of poisoning, but was acquitted in a baron-led court, after which he left the country forever. Before the court, Zerlina sent the baron of the Baroness’s letters and her lover to the baron, but this did not affect the objectivity of the judge’s decision. The Baron soon died – from a broken heart, according to Zerlina. Secretly from the Baroness, the maid in her own way brought up Hildegard, in “retribution for guilt” – the daughter’s guilt, in which the blood of “lascivious murderers” flowed, and mother’s guilt. Hildegard grew up in an effort to imitate what she considered her father as a baron, “but without his holiness,” Zerlina is indignant. She, spying on everyone, knows that Hildegard often stays at night by the next guest’s room, and only the thought of the “holy” father prevents her from opening the door. The Baroness became a prisoner of both women, in the soul of those who hate her. spying for everyone, knows that Hildegard often stays at night by the next guest’s room, and only the thought of the “holy” father prevents her from opening the door. The Baroness became a prisoner of both women, in the soul of those who hate her. spying for everyone, knows that Hildegard often stays at night by the next guest’s room, and only the thought of the “holy” father prevents her from opening the door. The Baroness became a prisoner of both women, in the soul of those who hate her.
Zerlina’s story somewhat distracts A. from the afternoon nap. Falling asleep, he feels sorry for the Baroness and himself, left without a mother, he would like to be “his own son.”
VI. In a crowded street, A. observes a strange, ridiculous house sticking out like a “broken tooth.” A. immediately bypasses its gates, porches, yards, stairs, floors. He is full of impatience and something awaits, for example, the view from the window on the garden or the landscape. He seems to be bewitched and is in an unsafe labyrinth, and not a soul around. Suddenly he almost runs into the girl with a bucket in his hands. She lives in this house with her grandfather and works in the laundry in the attic. Andreas appears to her. He wants to see the garden, the existence of which he learns from Melitta. He does not succeed, and, disappointed, he asks Melitt to show him another way out. After the next long walks A. gets into the store selling leather, from where he finally gets out onto the street with a piece of bought leather. The skin is good, but he is still disappointed.
VII. Tsakharias joined the Social Democratic Party, after which he quickly gained a promotion and dreams of becoming a director of the gymnasium. He is married and has three obedient children.
At this time throughout Germany meetings are held in protest against the theory of relativity of Einstein. At one meeting, he opposes this theory, albeit not too harshly – after all, even in the party’s board there are adherents of Einstein. Leaving the meeting, Tsakharias encounters in the wardrobe with a young man looking for his hat. The latter invites Tsakharias to the cellar, where he treats expensive Burgundy. Tsakharias is not pleased with the way of thinking of a young man who calls himself a Dutchman and believes that the Germans have brought much suffering to themselves and to all of Europe. After the first bottle, Tsakharias makes a speech for the glory of the German nation, “not tolerating hypocrisy.” Therefore, the Germans do not like “all-knowing” Jews. The Germans are a nation of the “Infinite,” that is, death, and other peoples are mired in the “Ultimate”, in the trading industry.
Another speech follows after the second bottle: in a state of easy intoxication, it is wiser to go to a prostitute, and not to his wife, so as not to conceive a fourth child, which is too expensive. But prostitutes can meet with high school students. The Germans no longer need the word “love”, because it is the “pairing” that brings the Infinite closer. For the fourth bottle, the third speech is spoken, and on the way to the house – the fourth, about the need for “planned freedom.” A. delivers Tsakharias to the door of his house, where “two zabuldig” with disgust is greeted by the wife of Philipp. The exorcist A. leaves, noticing how Filipina beats her husband, enthusiastically accepting beatings and muttering love confessions. A. comes home and falls asleep, not wanting to puzzle over the fate of the German naia.
VIII. Melitta receives a gift from a young man for the first time in her life. This is a purse made of fine leather, and in her letter from A. with a request to see. Melitta does not know how to write the answer, because “from heart to pen is such a long way,” especially for a small washerwoman. She decides to go to A. and puts on a Sunday dress. She is discovered by Zerlina, who quickly elicits everything and prepares Melitta for the return of A., as they prepare the bride for the first wedding night. Zerlina dresses the girl in her nightdress Hildegard and puts her in bed. Here Melitta spends two nights.
IX. A. talks with the baroness about the moral principles of the younger generation. According to the baroness, her daughter considers A. an immoral person, the only question is whether this is praise or censure. With tenderness, his son A. invites the Baroness to visit the Hunter’s Lodge bought by him.
Supper at the station restaurant. Sitting in an old room, “three-dimensional”, like all German, A. gives himself to a new kind of memories – in “multidimensionality”, and he is surprised that he is not thinking about Melitta, but about Hildegard. At this point, among the “plebeian noise” appears Hildegard itself, haughty and beautiful. She accuses A. that he plays the life of his mother, that, having bought a hunting lodge, became a toy in the hands of Zerlina. From the maid, she already knows everything about Melitta and hides her rage from A.
The next night, Hildegard comes to A.’s room and demands that he take her by force. When the stunned A. does not succeed, she maliciously declares to him that he permanently deprived him of his “male power.”
In the morning, A. learns from the newspaper that Melitta is no longer alive. Hildegard admits that she came to Melitta and told her that A. is indifferent to the little washerwoman. After her departure, the girl jumped out of the Window. A. perceives this as murder. Hildegard cynically calms him, because there are still many murders and blood, and he will accept them, as he accepted the war. In addition, Melitta’s death makes life easier for him. Now everyone is preparing to move to the Hunting Lodge, because they are no longer threatened with the appearance of Melitta. All the fun is celebrating Christmas in it.
X. Almost ten years living in a hunting lodge with the Baroness and Zerlina. At forty-five, he was fattened by the efforts of Zerlina, who more than doubled her weight. But the maid is stubbornly wearing ragged old clothes, and the one she gives to A. folds. A. cares about the baroness as a son, and this increasingly becomes the meaning of his life. Infrequent visits to Hildegard already take the form of an undesirable invasion. A. gradually forget about the past, it’s incredible that he once loved women, one committed suicide because of him, but her name is ready to slip out of memory. In these “festering everyday life” you only need to consider the possibility of a sudden rise of political idiots like Hitler, so as not to lose money. His main heir he decorates the Baroness, is going to allocate substantial amounts to charitable organizations, first of all in Holland. He does not worry about the future, because in 1933 the National Socialists lost their voices. A. likes to repeat that the world needs to be ignored and slowly “chew on everyday life.”
Once A. hears singing, heard from the forest. Singing hinders him. The last three years are no longer to singing, the “dummy” Hitler still seized power, the danger of war is maturing, financial matters need to be settled. An old man of powerful build appears, blind, but sure and calm. A. suddenly realizes that this is Melitta’s grandfather, and there is a flash of pain from the reminder that has arisen. Both begin to analyze the guilt and innocence of A., to trace the entire history of the life of this, in fact, a good man. Whatever happened in the world: the war, the Russian revolution and the Russian camps, Hitler’s coming to power, A. made money. At the same time, he always preferred to be a “son”, not a “father” and eventually chose the role of a “fat baby” for himself. A. finds his guilt in absolute, “cave” indifference, the consequence of which is indifference to the suffering of the neighbor. The old man knows that the generation of transitional time is destined to solve problems, but A. is sure that this generation is paralyzed by the immensity of the task. He himself hoped to avoid responsibility for his “brutality”, which threatens the whole world and everyone individually. A. admits his guilt and is ready to pay. Grandpa Melitta understands, approves and accepts his readiness, first referring to him by name – Andreas. The old man leaves. After him, the “natural” way for him to leave A.: from the “monstrous three-dimensional reality” in the “immeasurable nonexistence,” with a pistol in his hand, that this generation is paralyzed by the immensity of the task. He himself hoped to avoid responsibility for his “brutality”, which threatens the whole world and everyone individually. A. admits his guilt and is ready to pay. Grandpa Melitta understands, approves and accepts his readiness, first referring to him by name – Andreas. The old man leaves. After him, the “natural” way for him to leave A.: from the “monstrous three-dimensional reality” in the “immeasurable nonexistence,” with a pistol in his hand, that this generation is paralyzed by the immensity of the task. He himself hoped to avoid responsibility for his “brutality”, which threatens the whole world and everyone individually. A. admits his guilt and is ready to pay. Grandpa Melitta understands, approves and accepts his readiness, first referring to him by name – Andreas. The old man leaves. After him, the “natural” way for him to leave A.: from the “monstrous three-dimensional reality” in the “immeasurable nonexistence,” with a pistol in his hand,
So without knowing the whole truth, remaining without A., the Baroness dies of grief, with the obvious assistance of Zerlina. Now the former servant dresses richly and starts a servant.
XI. The young lady, still young, goes to church to mass. A stranger in glasses meets her, and for some reason she wants to cross over to the other side of the street. Yet she passes by him in the “armor of icy indifference”, like a real lady, “almost holy.” Then it seems to her that this elderly man is already a man who could be like a communist, if Hitler had not destroyed them all, follows her. She enters the church, feeling the weight of his gaze on the back of the head. Then slips into the courtyard in front of the square, where no one is. She looks back – “violence is canceled”, at least for this day. In the soul of the young lady rises a kind of mixture of regret and gloating. The chorale sounds, the young lady again enters the church, opens the Psalter – “and indeed holy.”


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Summary Innocent