The purpose of this study is to examine the understanding of homeland, or Heimat, from the perspectives of the four protagonists Hildegard, Vera, Marlene and Anne in Dörte Hansen's novel This house is mine (German title: Altes Land). Their memories and references to the former German province of East Prussia were examined with the help of theoretical considerations on the concept of homeland and memory. The results of the analysis are that all characters have their own perception of the province and that the understanding of homeland changes, based on the protagonists' perception, several important components of the concept of homeland have been worked out. A distinct difference in the opinion of homeland can be seen in the different generations of the family. Factors such as time spent in East Prussia and knowledge thereof are important for the acceptance of the new homeland. More connections to the homeland seem to make it more difficult to feel at home in a new place. This lack of satisfaction with the new life is something that has affected the relationship between the mothers and daughters in the family. The results have also shown that the memories of the homeland above all are characterized by social relationships, but also by natural elements such as woods and lakes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-114650 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Wickström, Emelie |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för språk (SPR) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | German |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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