Stasiland Character Analysis Essay

According to Never Let Me Go written by Kazuo Ishiguro and Stasiland written by Anna Funder, the importance of love is an instrument to give their characters a sense of hope, survival and tolerance in a world filled with different methods to control a population. In Funder’s journalistic Stasiland is revealed to be a highly surveillance and a regimed in place by a One-State Communist Party, which allows the reader to question the value of love in these challenging times for the people of East Germany. Similarly in Ishiguro’s speculative fiction text Never Let Me Go'' it is emphasized with narrator Kathy H. who tells the story from her perspective as an unreliable reconciliation while distracting her job of being carer reveals her longing lost for her companion Tommy who dies early on as a donor. Exposing the long lasting love has on individuals through difficult times. Although both texts reveal the importance of love they also announce the negative experiences of love. Funder develops this by exposing Hagen Koch, who was an ex-stasi officer who was blackmailed/manipulated into joining the Stasi however, changes this idea by allowing reconciliation to occur within the lives of these characters. In addition Ishiguro proposes the importance of love through friendship rather than romantic relationship, as a result expresses pessimistic feelings towards the value of romantic relationship and allows for the reader to view the authentic importance of love. Love provides hope for characters to survive in challenging situations. For instance the Stasi interfered with Frau Paul and her child Toresten life, as she had to choose between her sick child getting treated in West Germany and being with him or giving up Michael (escape planner.)  Although Frau Paul gave up her child and missed out on experiencing motherhood rather than informing on Michael, she believed it was the right thing to do but, also she had faith in future that she will be reuniting with her son Toresten. This reveals Funder’s purpose of revealing the treatment of the victims in East Germany and how they contained their faith for a better future in East Germany. Similarly Ishiguro provides hope for his protagonist Kathy and her friends Tommy and Ruth within challenging times. For instance Kathy and Tommy hold onto the belief that deferrals are real in order to spend more time with each other before they can start to donate their organs. This belief allows for their romantic relationship to prosper and survive which later on they battle together for the real truth of the deferrals being not real. Another example is from Madam and Miss Emilly who are portrayed to perpetrators however, they created Hailsham border school to prove these clones have souls as a result they hoped for a better future for these clones however couldn’t they weren’t successful as madam expresses to Kathy and Tommy ‘you poor creatures.’    

Following, both texts present love as enduring or it can rise over any tragedy the character has come across. Miriam Weber is interviewed by Funder on her experiences on the regime in east germany. As a teenager, she tried and nearly succeeded to sneak past the Wall into West Berlin, but she was caught and sentenced to jail time for her “crime.”  Later on her husband Charlie was arrested and mysteriously ‘commits suicide’ which Miram did not believe as she strives to find out the truth on who actually murdered her husband. It is revealed Miram has turned her journey to find the truth as an obsession as it is stated “for now, though, this terrible game of waiting keeps her suspended from her life with Charlie, still in contact.” Finding the truth regarding Charlie’s death is Miriam’s way to remain in contact with Charlie. The urge to find justice is what encourages her to move forward in life. Similarly Koch’s wife was forced into signing the divorce papers and was threatened (Stasi taking her children away). The papers were shown to Koch, making him rejoin the Stasi. However, despite the divorce, ‘Mr and Mrs Koch remarried.’ Funder demonstrates love as enduring or it can rise over any tragedy. Likewise Ishiguro displays love as tolerance, for example despite the history of betrayal from Ruth, Kathy ends up supporting Ruth and Tommy’s toxic relationship. Moreover Kathy fulfills Ruth's dying wish of being Tommy’s carer “So I said to her: ‘It’s okay, I’m going to do it, Ruth. I’m going to become Tommy’s carer as soon as I can.” As a result, Ishiguro conducts his purpose of illustrating the valuable aspect of love and how it can be patient through tragedy. 

Although both authors  illustrate the importance of love, both authors also depict love as a pessimistic experience. For example in Stasiland Funder demonstrates love being used as a weaponised tool to manipulate or blackmail characters. Hagen Koch was manipulated into getting a divcorce with his wife however the stasi didn’t succeed as they got back together however it displays a negative experience of love. Funder also highlights love as holding people back, as seen with Miriam who cannot move on from the death of her husband Charlie. Similarly in Never Let Me Go'' although Kathy likes Tommy she holds silent hope that Ruth and Tommy will break up and she can have her chance, she never confronted Ruth or released her anger openly. Which leads to depressing outcomes such as having limited time with Tommy in their relationship. Another example is once Tommy and Kathy found out that deferrals didn’t exist, they began to drift apart which highlights that characters need a purpose for their romantic relationship to be stable. As a result Ishiguro proposes love through friendship rather than romantic relationship.