THE THEME OF OPPOSITION IN GRETEL WACHTEL’S NOVEL CALLED GRETEL’S STORY

The aim of this study is to analyse German author Gretel Wachtel’s novel called Gretel’s Story in relation to the theme of opposition. In this context, mostly the text-based method will be used along with the secondary sources that will be used to handle the theme of opposition in a detailed way. Therefore, a pluralistic approach will be handled during the study. In the study, Gretel’s opposition to the power (Hitler regime) which takes place during the II. World War in her memoirs will be discussed in terms of humanism and politics. For this reason, firstly the definition of humanism will be given. Then the initiation of Gretel’s opposition to the power individually and with hümanist feelings and the development of this opposition in time taking a political dimension will be focused on. The reasons of Gretel’s opposition to the Nazi regime, and to what extent her grandfather’s being a Democrat and her best friend’s being a Jewish, has affected her opposition against the power will be discussed. The role of the injustices and the torments done to the Jewish people, in her decision to carry her opposition to a political dimension will be expressed, and how several illegal events she witnessed as she was working at Wehrmacht base shaped her opposition into1 a political one will be emphasized. However, it will be reached as a result that despite this humanist and political opposition and the minor success she gained in her struggle, Gretel’s opposition hasn’t gone beyond an individual opposition, and she could only save the lives of a few Jewish people, apart from that she couldn’t gain a great success.