C LIT 30B Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Gottfried Keller, Ice Saints, Definition
Document Summary
Why does the protagonist leave his home: the first of the narratives introduces the story of a lost son as well as his return upon the wings of the narrative. The name speaks for itself, particularly as a definiens in connection with the prominently emphasized character trait of sulking. For instance, much like the blanketing chill of a cold breeze, Pankraz"s unsociable spirit of fastidious scorekeeping and impenitent taking of offence overruns the small household of women consisting of his mother and sister and in which modest pleasures transcend material deficiencies. Pankraz was the sole man of the house following the premature death of the father, who as a reliable man was never quite able to fit in among the easy-going people of seldwyla and who succumbed. Immediately to consumption: economical disorder - "survival artists" of misery. The children plead their mother for better and more abundant food . Marginalization of the powerless father by a reckless village community.
