Sheesh, I'm putting together the Heinrich correspondence, and in comes new comments about Fritz/Katte, combined with all the wonderfulness about Peter Keith that you provided, that I can't just ignore and add to my really long backlog. :PP
Okay, so, Fritz and Katte. I obviously don't know what Fritz has in mind, but I have always suspected Fritz resented Katte trying to talk him out of the escape plan and having to be dragged into it. My headcanon is that at that age, Fritz was going around telling everyone that he needed to get the hell out of there, and consciously or subconsciously, waiting for someone to go "YES, GOD YES, let me get you out of here." And when he didn't get that, he came up with an increasingly emotional and poorly thought out escape plan that everyone knew about, *and* he developed an increasing sense that when it comes down to it, he's on his own. He's got to come up with all the ideas, and at best people might go along with them if he pushes enough, but no one is looking out for him.
Now, god knows, I don't *blame* Katte. Especially since Fritz got into a terrible feedback loop of
Fritz: *proposes bad idea* Everyone else: *tries to talk him out of it* Fritz: *hears "Just suck up the abuse for the next however many years or decades"* Fritz: *comes up with worse idea and is MORE insistent that everyone go along with it* Everyone else: *panics*
So, no, no one was morally obliged to risk their neck to get him out of a bad situation on their own initiative. But the fact that it was all his idea, I think fed into his control issues and paranoia later in life, and his difficulty getting his needs for emotional topping met.
And then, let's remember that Katte wrote that, "You know, I *did* try to talk you out of it, and also I suggest you be nice to your abusive dad and do everything he says," last letter. Now, even if it's realistically too late for a pardon, Katte might still be hoping against hope; plus I think he's genuinely realized there is no other option that results in Fritz living to see age 19, so I don't blame Katte for that letter. It's quite possible that he was hoping he'd get that pardon, and then he could sit down with Fritz and talk to him and be more supportive and reassuring. But there was no way to be supportive in that letter other than to say "I don't blame you, BUT..."
And whether or not Fritz got, intellectually, that the letter was for public consumption, emotionally, it was his last communication from Katte, and more importantly, he *would* remember Katte trying to prevent him from escaping an abusive hell. Privately. Genuinely.
I don't think he'd be human if he *didn't* have some resentment, along with all the other conflicting and strong emotions he bottled up.
Also, this entire passage strikes me as protesting a lot: it reads like the words of a man who is carrying a horrible, horrible guilt inside and trying to live with himself. For once, it *doesn't* strike me as gratuitous self-pity, though I'm sure he also draws on his self-pitying tendencies to try to cope.
Because on the one hand, it's liar writing to a liar
Which is why "If an honorable man like yourself disapproved, I'd be sad" made me snort.
Re: Happy Birthday, Fritz! You bastard. (Even towards Katte?)
I don't have tiiiiime! You explain Manteuffel.
Sheesh, I'm putting together the Heinrich correspondence, and in comes new comments about Fritz/Katte, combined with all the wonderfulness about Peter Keith that you provided, that I can't just ignore and add to my really long backlog. :PP
Okay, so, Fritz and Katte. I obviously don't know what Fritz has in mind, but I have always suspected Fritz resented Katte trying to talk him out of the escape plan and having to be dragged into it. My headcanon is that at that age, Fritz was going around telling everyone that he needed to get the hell out of there, and consciously or subconsciously, waiting for someone to go "YES, GOD YES, let me get you out of here." And when he didn't get that, he came up with an increasingly emotional and poorly thought out escape plan that everyone knew about, *and* he developed an increasing sense that when it comes down to it, he's on his own. He's got to come up with all the ideas, and at best people might go along with them if he pushes enough, but no one is looking out for him.
Now, god knows, I don't *blame* Katte. Especially since Fritz got into a terrible feedback loop of
Fritz: *proposes bad idea*
Everyone else: *tries to talk him out of it*
Fritz: *hears "Just suck up the abuse for the next however many years or decades"*
Fritz: *comes up with worse idea and is MORE insistent that everyone go along with it*
Everyone else: *panics*
So, no, no one was morally obliged to risk their neck to get him out of a bad situation on their own initiative. But the fact that it was all his idea, I think fed into his control issues and paranoia later in life, and his difficulty getting his needs for emotional topping met.
And then, let's remember that Katte wrote that, "You know, I *did* try to talk you out of it, and also I suggest you be nice to your abusive dad and do everything he says," last letter. Now, even if it's realistically too late for a pardon, Katte might still be hoping against hope; plus I think he's genuinely realized there is no other option that results in Fritz living to see age 19, so I don't blame Katte for that letter. It's quite possible that he was hoping he'd get that pardon, and then he could sit down with Fritz and talk to him and be more supportive and reassuring. But there was no way to be supportive in that letter other than to say "I don't blame you, BUT..."
And whether or not Fritz got, intellectually, that the letter was for public consumption, emotionally, it was his last communication from Katte, and more importantly, he *would* remember Katte trying to prevent him from escaping an abusive hell. Privately. Genuinely.
I don't think he'd be human if he *didn't* have some resentment, along with all the other conflicting and strong emotions he bottled up.
Also, this entire passage strikes me as protesting a lot: it reads like the words of a man who is carrying a horrible, horrible guilt inside and trying to live with himself. For once, it *doesn't* strike me as gratuitous self-pity, though I'm sure he also draws on his self-pitying tendencies to try to cope.
Because on the one hand, it's liar writing to a liar
Which is why "If an honorable man like yourself disapproved, I'd be sad" made me snort.