Herr Kersten is Himmler’s masseur in “Hundstage.” During Himmler’s appointments, the dog observes Herr Kersten listen attentively to Himmler’s thoughts on how hunting, one of Herr Kersten’s favorite pastimes, is unethical. Herr Kersten never responds, which the dog interprets as Herr Kersten being a good listener—but the dog also seems unaware of the unequal power dynamic between Kersten and Himmler, with Kersten having considerably less.
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Herr Kersten Character Timeline in Only the Animals
The timeline below shows where the character Herr Kersten appears in Only the Animals. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Hundstage: Soul of Dog (Died 1941, Poland)
Master says to his masseur, Herr Kersten , that hunting—as Herr Kersten does—is murder, as every animal has the right to live....
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...The dog wonders what the parable means. It reminds him of something his Master told Herr Kersten once. He’d said that oppressed people don’t learn compassion—they just learn that next time, they...
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