Mother Night

Campbell details the death of his father-in-law after Resi and her mother moved away. He learns of it while reading a feature in a magazine where Noth is presented as the “Hangman of Berlin” (107), despite not having actually hanged anyone in his tenure as police chief of Berlin. The author of the article discusses Noth’s attempts to deal fairly with those he prosecutes, noting that the system of which he was a part refused to differentiate offenses and therefore punished all alike. The enslaved Russian and Polish people who overran Noth’s home and hanged him from an apple tree don’t know who he is, only that he was someone important.

Campbell describes the last time he saw his best friend in Berlin. This occurs just before he visits his father-in-law, as the Russian army is advancing on Berlin. His friend, a man named Heinz, was his ping-pong doubles partner. By the end of the war, both men are destitute, and Heinz has a single motorcycle in his possession. He loans this to Campbell so he can visit Noth and Resi. This is the last time Campbell sees Heinz, though he learns the man survived the war and is working as a groundskeeper in Ireland.