At the Heart of the White Rose: Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl Edited by Inge Jens

                                                    

 I just recently finished reading the letters and diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl, so I wanted to share some of my thoughts on them. I wrote about the anti-Nazi resistance group White Rose (resisting Nazis, not resisting anti-Nazis) lead by Hans Scholl in my brief write-up on Alexander Schmorell, but every single member of the group was awesome and presents plenty of subject material.

I think through Hans' letters and diaries one can conjure up a pretty vivid picture of his personality and life philosophy. Hans is very serious in his writings, and you can tell that he's hurting inside at his inability to stop the Nazi regime. Just reading the letters of Hans and Sophie, you actually don't really notice they're in a tyrannical regime, (at least not like the movies show) except for little, tell-tale signs. For example, Hans, and I believe Sophie as well, were investigated by the Gestapo for being part of a youth group in the early days of Nazism that wasn't the Hitler Youth. It's just mentioned casually, but the notes at the back of the book illuminate the situation a great deal. I would definitely recommend checking out the notes whenever you come to a numbered word, name, or phrase. I found it explained a lot of helpful details and gave a fuller view of the big picture. Also on the note of little signs of tyranny, about half way through the book, Hans starts writing in his letters to the Gestapo agents that he knows are reading through his private correspondences. It's rather funny. Hans is always lamenting that he has difficulty in writing letters, which I certainly didn't notice. I was constantly amazed how people would just randomly break into a philosophical dissertation in the middle of a letter. Hans was obviously very smart, and he is always throwing ideas around and discussing them with his family, friends, and girlfriend.

Hans never reveals in his letters or diary that he has started the White Rose. It was definitely a enormous weight to carry. In his diary entries he never puts a name on anything, but you can tell that he couldn't just accept the evil that was alive in his country. He had to do something about it. He also tried so hard to be good, and to trust in God. I'll say it once and I'll say it again. The members of the White Rose, including Hans, are so epic and inspiring, it's not even funny.

Sophie reminds me more of me. She's flippant and light-hearted in her writings, although as time goes on she grows more and more serious. In the latter part of the book she writes about how an enormous melancholy overtakes her whenever she is alone. 

Both her and Hans had an obvious love for nature, but I think Sophie describes it more, and she describes it so beautifully. She said she sometimes longed to be a piece of bark on a tree. I think I get that. Sophie is very witty in her letters but her heart is poured out in her diary. I don't know about you, but I sometimes feel uncomfortable and self conscious reading other people's diaries. Like, it was written in confidence, privately, and not to be seen by prying eyes. But luckily Sophie doesn't write anything stupid in her diary like me. She often writes about how difficult it is to pray, but how she has to try and talk to God, even if she can't feel his presence. In one of the last letters the book shows, Sophie, before she and Hans were captured and killed by the Nazis, is writing about listening to Schubert's Trout Quintet, how she felt how well the music described a trout swimming in a stream. It's a touching moment, because as the reader, we know she's about to die, and it's just so... I don't know. Simple, wholesome, pure? I can't think of the word, but as I said, it was very touching.

Reminds me of the tree bark comment.

Paul Robinson (I don't know who he is either, but he commented on the book) said the collection of letters and diary entries 'Conjures up an uncanny sense of the spiritual and physical world inhabited by young Germans during the war,' and he's so right, although I didn't feel like I had that insight until the near-end of the book. I also picked up many interesting historical bits whilst reading the letters, as well as some fan-girl inspiring bits about Alexander Schmorell. It was so cool whenever he was mentioned, as it gave an actual real description of him, not just some third-hand account on Wikipedia. Sophie especially had some interesting things to say about him, but I'll leave that for you to read. There was also a neat section where Hans attends a Russian Orthodox liturgy, and as it bears a resemblance to a Byzantine Catholic liturgy and church, I was quite delighted.

August 9, 1942

'... A week ago today we were in Vyaz'ma. I managed a visit to the Russian church there. The service differed from those familiar to prosaic Central Europeans like us. I entered a spacious hall. Warm semidarkness filled the interior, except where candles beneath the altar and the icons showered the sacred pictures of gold. People stood together in haphazard groups, bearded men with kindly faces, wearing the finest of sarafans [actually, caftans], women with their hair done up in colorful kerchiefs, forever bowing low and making the sign of the St. Andrew's cross with splendidly ceremonious gestures. Many bowed their head to the ground and kissed it. The liquid gold of the candles tinged their faces with red, their eyes shone, and the murmur of voices gradually died away as the priest raised his own voice in song. A choir responded with some magnificent chords. Again the priest sang, and again the choir answered him, reinforced by many additional voices, bell-like tenors and wonderfully mellow basses. The hearts of all believers vibrated in unison. One could sense the stirring, the outpouring of souls unfolding after a long and terrible silence, souls that had at last found their way back to their true home. I could have wept for joy, because my heart, too, was loosing its bonds one by one...'

Although our liturgy and church is not exactly the same, I still smiled to read about the 'sacred pictures of gold' and 'the splendidly ceremonious gesture' as well as the choir singing with the parish after the priest chanted, and the colorful kerchiefs. Makes me a little homesick, even though I'm not away from home. I can't boast of our cantoring resulting in 'magnificent chords', but our head cantor is quite talented and we don't sound half bad. I wish Hans could have come to our church.

Anyhow, if you get the chance, pick up a copy of the Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl. They were so brave and deeply religious, they really are inspiring.