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Chapter 48
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Ethics in Journalism
Truth, Lies, and Narrative
Class, Hierarchy, and Exploitation
Dignity and Compassion
Summary
Analysis
The Blornas, and people of their social standing, generally read “loftier” publications than the News, and so Dr. Blorna has no idea about the story about Katharina that the News has run—he doesn’t learn the details until Miss Woltersheim calls and reads the article aloud to him over the phone. At first he cannot believe what he’s hearing, and then he becomes so angry that he runs to the garage to make a Molotov cocktail, planning to throw it through the windows of the News office. He would’ve gone through with his plan, too, had Mrs. Blorna not stopped him. Meanwhile, Katharina waits inside her apartment for the “interview” with Tötges, though the reader already knows how that will go.
The fact that Dr. Blorna initially has no knowledge of the News story about Katharina shows how significantly one’s class and social standing affects one’s life and one’s perspective on reality. Blorna doesn’t read the tabloid paper because he comes from a more privileged, educated background that affords him the ability to refine his tastes and consume “loftier” publications. Meanwhile, the working-class people (like Katharina) who comprise the majority of the population turn to lower, less reputable sources for their news.
Active
Themes
