Divide We Fall Kanal Character Analysis

Female roles in Kanal and Divide We Fall

When thinking of war there is a dominating stereotype that only men are the heroes who fight and suffer during battle. Again, men are the ones characterized as strong and bold, so they many deal with the pain and rigors of the adverse conditions found in warfare. However, to ignore the opposite sex’s contribution to wartime life would be a grave injustice. In reviewing the likes of wartime films such as Kanal and Divide We Fall, the different and important roles that women have assumed can be seen. Women, despite whatever adverse conditions they are presented, are able to provide and support not only themselves, but others as well. In Divide We Fall, we see a wife named Marie, who’s empathy for a the runaway Jew ultimately helps to save this Jew’s life. Faced with a Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia, Marie and her husband, put their lives at risk by harboring a runaway Jew in their meat cellar. Ultimately Marie agrees to have a child with the Jewish man in an attempt to keep their home safe. In doing so Marie not only defies here own morals but makes a large commitment and sacrifice (by agreeing to become pregnant) to provide safety

Woman can not only have the ability to fulfill the roles that men hold, but are also capacity for deep emotion and empathy. They are able to assume the role of caretaker in a traditional sense such as Marie, and are so capable of more heroic deeds like Daisy. Without the bold sacrifices of either women, the story’s displayed would be different, surely for the worse. It could be said that women may not participate in the fighting of wars, however, it should note that they more importantly participate in the saving