The Assault

Write an expository essay in which you parse the symbolic and literal significance of the character of Truus Coster. What narrative and metaphorical role does she play in the novel? How does she shape Anton’s life and perceptions? How does her character serve as a thematic vehicle, and what explicit themes does her character and presence within the narrative communicate?

Explore Mulisch’s engagement with humanity and Fascism by engaging with the following quote from Truus Coster:

‘For [the Nazis] everything is very simple, but for us it’s more complicated. We’ve got to become a little bit like them in order to fight them—so we become a little bit unlike ourselves. But they don’t have that problem; they can do away with us without any qualms. We first have to do away with something inside ourselves before we can do away with them. Not them; they can simply remain themselves, that’s why they’re so strong. But they’ll lose in the end, because they have no light in them. The only thing is, we mustn’t become too much like them, mustn’t destroy ourselves altogether, otherwise they’ll have won in the end…’ (38-39).

Is Truus Coster’s message identical to Mulisch’s? Why or why not? Use the characters of Anton and Cor Takes as significant reference points within your discussion.

Using specific characters as examples, explain Mulisch’s gendered symbology in The Assault. Overall, what do women symbolize? What do men symbolize? How does Mulisch accomplish his gendered symbolic system, and what themes does he develop through it?

Consult credible scientific sources that offer data and conclusions about repression as a psychological mechanism for coping with severe childhood trauma. Use citations of these sources to explicate Anton’s psychological journey within The Assault.

Explicate Mulisch’s engagement with the ideas of absurdity and existentialism. What is Mulisch’s message about absurdity and meaning-making within human affairs? Cite at least three credible scholarly sources in order to strengthen your explication.

Perform a narrative analysis of The Assault. Why did Mulisch plot his novel in the manner that he did? What themes and messages are developed through Mulisch’s narrative arc decisions?

Analyze the third-person narrator of The Assault. How are Mulisch’s thematic aims accomplished through his distinct choice in narration? How might different perspectival choices have changed the overall meaning of the work, and therefore, what does Mulisch’s perspectival choice ultimately achieve?

Explicate the symbolic and literal dimensions of Anton’s childhood home, Carefree. How does Carefree function as both a symbol and a literal place within the narrative? What themes and messages does Mulisch communicate through its presence?