What kind of future do you envision for each member of the Aust family? Do you have an opinion about how each of their lives might play out?
Their “American dreams” were disrupted. IF they’re resilient they’ll find a pathway. The parents will hopefully find a new life together. Kurt is likely to find work using his knowledge and skills, but he’ll be disillusioned about what freedom means in America. Gerhard’s future is quite difficult to envision.
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I doubt Otto and Kurt will ever return to America. They’ll probably find jobs in Germany - lots of rebuilding to do - but I’m sure their lives would be difficult.
Gerhard, I’m even less optimistic about. Between being disabled and being gay, I don’ know that he’ll ever have a happy life. Nina is a survivor and I imagine will carry on no matter what.
The whole book left me somewhat sad for the fate of this family.
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I agree with Kim regarding the fate of the family. Internment will forever affect them.
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I agree with Kim. I do hope that some day they will be reunited. It seems more likely that their reunion would be in Germany or in a European country. It seems unlikely that the U.S. would accept them back after their deportation during the war, especially with oaths of silence. I think that they would rather be together in any country than living apart.
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I wish the book hadn’t ended so abruptly. Otto and Kurt, upon returning to Germany, would have arrived there as the Allied bombing of German cities reached its height. If they went to Koblenz they might have had a better chance of surviving the war, and since the city was in the American occupation zone, they might have found work and opportunity to start new lives there. Had they gone to the Russian occupation zone, I wouldn’t have much optimism for their chances. The future of Nina and Gerhard in the West is uncertain and would probably depend upon how much their friends supported them. Nina is such a strong character that she probably would find a way to survive, Gerhard has many strikes against him. But possibly he would be accepted and find a way to use his musical talent again.
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I don’t see much of a future with having to start over with their lives and the separation of family.
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I am not hopeful for this family. Shelley makes a great point, it would depend where in Germany Otto and Kurt go. But I don’t think they would be accepted, Americans in Germany would distrust them and might even be prevented from working with them. Germans would not be comfortable with them, since they came from America.
As for Gerhard, he would be living in a time when there was almost no acceptance or understanding for those with disabilities or non-heterosexuals’ preferences.
My heart goes out to all of the Aust family.
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There are a number of scenarios I can envision here. One is that Otto and Kurt return to Germany as planned. However, the Germany they return to will not be the one they left. By 1944 every industrial city is in ruins and the German economy is in dire straits. While they may have gotten jobs in the old Germany, I don’t think it would be easy in 1944. Their best hope is that they reconcile with their family in Germany. Kurt may well be drafted into the military and possibly killed. If that happens, I can see Otto returning to the United States.
I believe Nina and Gerhard will go to the Merkels in Wyoming who have offered to help find them find jobs. I think Otto would discourage Nina and Gerhard from returning to Germany as it was in 1944. In any event, I don’t see a happy outcome for this family,
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I also agree with Kim about Otto and Kurt finding their lives after the war in Germany and making the best of it. Perhaps there will be some family reunions but after a time it will become more difficult without reliving memories they might have tried to suppress. The other members of the family living .in the United States have strong personalities and with that will try to luve the best life they can but not forget the past.
I think that Nina and Gerhart remains in Newman with their friends. Hopefully, with the savings Nina stashed, they were able to afford a comfortable housing for the two of them. With the conclusion of the war, I would hope that Otto and Kurt were able to return to America to Nina and Gerhart and that slowly they were able to rebuild their lives together and perhaps open another restaurant as well. With the severity of Gerhart’s injuries and losing Hugh, I don’t think he was ever able to return to his love of singing, but hopefully he continued writing songs. I hope that Kurt is able to go to University as he originally planned to pursue his degree.
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