SOCIAL, CULTURAL CONTEXT 1983 EAST VS WEST GERMANY

Question 1

What role does the contrast between Eastern + Western daily life have on the plot?

Answer 1

D83 juxaposes the daily life experiences in the EAST vs WEST.

This juxaposition or cultural tension is central to understanding Martins disorientation and moral dilemma.

Question 2

Daily Life- In East Germany

Answer 2

Defined by material scarcity, restrictions and state loyalty.

Question 3

Daily Life- West Germany

Answer 3

Defined by consumerism, cultural freedom, fast food, pop music.

Question 4

Social context: Family and political loyalties?

Mar

Answer 4

Familiies were split: People visting either the East and West were trapped there.

Surveillance: Letters, phone calls, birthday cards were monitored by both states (esp the Stasi)

Informants: Some relatives informed on each other to survive.

Martin’s loyalty to his family is a driven force for his espionage work rather than loyalty to the state. This underlying tension reflects broader societal tensions between loyalty to family vs state.

Question 5

What does Mauer im Kopf mean?

Answer 5

‘Wall in the mind’

A phrase that refers to the lingering psychological and cultural divisions betweenn East and West.