Katya was an emotional roller coaster near its end. I was taken by shock when Katya's whole family was killed, even though I'd seen the obituary at the beginning. I cried for deaths of the nobles charachters, and like Katya, I was most taken by the loss of Greta. But one of the most interesting aspects of the Kootzy's invasion scene is the one thing that really got Peter Vogt upset: wastefulness. Simeon Pravda and is followers kick Abram and his family out of their house, steal everything of value, trash the house, threaten to take the Vogt's house, and Peter is still calm, but when he notices the men destroying all of the canned food by throwing it out windows, he can't take it. "I have to say this, here, is wrong. Take the food,but don't spoil it. You could eat well this winter," Peter reasons with Pravda to steal the food, anything but wasting it. Peter Vogt is also portrayed as being the most honorable and dedicated Mennonite in Privol'noye, most representative of the ideal Mennonite values.
Those ideas together, we can discern that the the misdeed of wastefulness is actually seen as a higher sin than theft or brutality. Mennonites do not engage in brutality, but they understand the idea of taking something you want. They do not understand the idea of destroying something completely when it could be used for at least someone's benefit, even if not their own. This fact is actually what sets Peter off to the fact that Pravda and his men were severely dangerous, because they were unstable for wanting to waste. It was the instinct that wastefulness indicated mental instability, then, that allowed Katya and her sisters to live.
Later on, the idea of wastefulness comes up again: Katya is reported to some kind of community enforcement squad for wastefulness. The fact that she was reported is irrelevant because Liese would have reported her for something, but the fact that wastefulness was a crime that you could be executed for (as Willy Khran almost was) shows how important a value it was for the Mennonite community. And it still is an important value. Still today, frugality is celebrated and wastefulness of any kind will give you a poor reputation among the Mennonite community for ages, even among college-age Mennonite friend-groups. The value that kept Mennonites alive while they were impoverished and constantly migrating has become a permanent Mennonite value instilled in new and old, religious and cultural Mennonites alike.
Interesting. We also see Katya act wastefully early on, when she throws Lydia's silver cup down the well. She would have been better off keeping it for herself, but I don't think she was out for personal gain as much as revenge. To cause pain equal to or more then what she felt.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment, Kolton. Wastefulness is clearly viewed negatively, and I wonder if it has anything to do with growing up with very little, and therefore needing to use and re-use everything one possibly could. I also wonder if Pravda knew how important not wasting things was to the Mennonites, and if that's why he destroyed their food.
ReplyDeleteI like to remember what Ann said in class last time about how much work went into canning the food that Pravda wasted. From planting the seeds in the garden, watering the plants over the course of its growth, harvesting the product, and then the laborious process of actually canning them. That is a TON of work! To think that Pravda would completely disrespect the work of the women (I'm assuming) is a valid reason for anger on Peter Vogt's part.
ReplyDeleteThis post is packed full of interesting observations. Do you mean that Peter's instinct that wastefulness indicated mental stability alerted him to the danger and prompted him to hide Katya and Sarah? This is an intriguing point. I think Jake is onto something above when he says that the wastefulness was intended to hurt, offend, and even enrage the Mennonites. It's like the bandits were saying: "Your food isn't even good enough for us to eat, your feather beds aren't even good enough for us to sleep on, and we don't value anything you cared about or spent time on." The opposite of wastefulness is hoarding or miserliness. Now, is it possible that frugal Mennonites could be seen as hoarding their wealth and being very stingy with it? For instance, Abram has Kolya whipped when two sacks of flour are missing after the Baptism. Where does generosity fit into the picture?
ReplyDelete