Goodbye To Berlin

Throughout the course of the novel, Christopher Isherwood, the narrator, remains largely enigmatic. We are able to gather through his interactions with others that he is a polite and proper gentleman, always erring on the side of discretion and tact and very rarely acting on his passions. Much like the relationship between Otto and Peter on Ruegen Island, Isherwood’s sexuality is never explicitly touched upon. Isherwood, the author, was an openly gay writer, yet for Isherwood the character, his sexual identity is, at best, alluded to through ambiguity. Frl. Schroeder is particularly confused about Isherwood’s relationship with Sally Bowles once Klaus Linke starts coming around the apartment for her. Sally is always alluding to how difficult it must be for Isherwood to understand her situation. There is also the interesting moment toward the end of the novel when Fritz Wendel and Isherwood emerge from the Salomé only to be confronted by an American tourist. The American asks Fritz about the men inside the Salomé dressed as women. He wants to know if they’re “queer.” Fritz replies, “Eventually we’re all queer” (192). This startles the young man and he asks Isherwood if he is queer. Isherwood responds, “Yes…very queer indeed” (192). Even in this moment, Isherwood’s sexual identity is masked in a joke. It makes sense that Isherwood would want to keep this part of himself a secret in the novel, with the rise of the Nazis and their antagonism toward homosexuality. Further, it’s interesting to note that Isherwood never once reflects on this piece of information about himself in private. The novel is bookended by apparent diary entries, but Isherwood the narrator still never feels comfortable disclosing this part of himself in his writing.