Behind the Bedroom Wall

The Third Reich instigated an insidious program of propaganda to convince the populous of the righteousness of their cruel and violent actions. This propaganda aimed to alter people’s understanding of history, of the science of race, and of Germany’s place in the world. Much propaganda specifically targeted children, as evident in Behind the Bedroom Wall in Korinna’s schooling and jungmädel lessons. Early in the story, Korinna is thrilled to listen to the Fuhrer deliver a speech on the radio. She tells her parents, “‘Today we got bundles of new pamphlets to pass out. They’re very nice. They even have the Fuhrer’s picture on the front’” (11). This illustrates how children were encouraged to hero-worship the Fuhrer—and the role that children played in disseminating Nazi ideology. Rita enthusiastically tells her friends, as she watches her brother Hans beating Herr Haase on the street, “‘Jews are the enemy! They are the root of all our problems. Without them Germany will be strong!’” (5). Propaganda represents Jewish people as genetically inferior and insidiously evil, and seeks to convince people to believe that pity for those holding back the Fatherland is inherently un-German.

The propaganda presents Adolf Hitler as the