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Old 01-22-2009, 11:54 PM   #49
saopinax

Join Date
Oct 2005
Posts
468
Senior Member
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What do you think Mann was trying to say by creating Imma as an American? It almost seemed that he might be having a bit of fun in portraying her as something akin to a hog on ice. I think for the purpose of Klaus Heinrich's expansion, wouldn't any good woman (who tripped Klaus' trigger) have suited the purpose? Did Mann view Americans positively? Or is this reading too much into the text...
I think there was a reason and it had to do with racism. She and her father left the US because they were treatly badly because they had Indian blood (generationally quint, quad, tre). It was okay in Germany - they were not shunned.

I think I wrote earlier that I thought inheritance was a major theme in this book. Imma and Klaus Heinrich had that in common - KH inherited his title; Imma and her father inherited their wealth. There was nothing they could do about it. Imma inherited her Indian blood. When Imma notices KH's left hand (which is remarkedly late given the amount of time they have spent together!) she asks "Were you born like that?" She seems to like him better following this and softens a bit - he is human after all, with this imperfection. He then lets down his guard completely, he is so relieved to not have to hide it.
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