The image of Hannah’s nakedness
Thomsen is secretly in love with Hanna, Doll’s wife. Doll is the Commandant in the concentration camp where Thomsen works as a junior officer. Thomsen is in love, and whenever he sees Hannah, he imagines what she looks like when naked. Thomsen says, “And I just started wondering what she’d look like with all her clothes off.”The imagery is significant because it shows Thomsen’s lust. Firstly, Thomsen makes a serious mistake when he dates his boss’ wife. Secondly, the imagery shows that Thomsen is immoral. After all, he does not respect marriage because he wants an affair with a married woman.
The smell of Iceland and Arsehole
Ilse is a young female officer at the concentration camp, and she identifies male colleagues by her sense of smell. When Thomsen enters Ilse’s offices, she says, “Aha. I smell Icelander. I smell arsehole.”The imagery shows Ilse’s strategy to push predator males from her circle. Ilse is the only woman officer, and every man wants to seduce her. Whenever Ilse says she smells arsehole and Iceland, male officers understand that she wants to be alone.
The noise of mice
One nasty thing Thomsen must put up with in the old town where he lives is the noise of mice in his room. Thomsen says, “Although the little creatures managed to stay out of sight, I could instantly hear them as they busied themselves in the crannies and runnels, scurrying, squeaking, feeding, and breeding.”The imagery is important because it shows the primitiveness of the Buna people, who comfortably live with mice and other nasty creatures. Thomsen says that the houses in the town are in bad condition creating a good environment for mice infestation.
