The Marriage of Maria Braun
By Kim Lowry
September 28, 2001

World War II left Germany in complete ruins, not only did Germany have to physically rebuild itself, but also emotionally. The war left the country of Germany in complete and udder devastation. The men of Germany were either dead, being kept as prisoners of war, or missing. The people of Germany were doing their best to get back on their feet. But, at a time like this, it was very hard. Main concerns of Germans were finding adequate food and shelter, basically, survival. The people of Germany were not interested in ‘why’, but rather how to rebuild their lives. Maria Braun shared the same concerns with the rest of the nation, but decided to do something about it.

After watching The Marriage of Maria Braun, I had mixed emotions. On one hand I wondered how a person could act in such a manner after the complete devastation of her country. Her country lay in ruins after the horrendous tragedies of the Second World War, including the effects of the Holocaust. On the other hand, I thought she was just doing what she had to do to get by, and for that matter ahead. The more I pondered the film, the more I began to agree with the decisions of the main character Maria Braun. Although I would not encourage this type of behavior nowadays, it was necessary during these unimaginable times in Germany after World War II. Maria Braun was doing her best, given the current state of her ruined country.

Maria was in great despair, her newlywed husband was lost in the rubble of World War II and she had given up hope of his return. She began to see Bill, an African American soldier who was stationed in Germany. Things quickly became intimate, and suddenly her husband appeared. The sight of Maria’s husband instinctively caused Maria to kill Bill, the American Soldier. Maria’s husband took the blame by serving a jail sentence. He did this because he was not ready to face his wife, nor the outside world.

Maria knew she had to move on, so she assumed the responsibility of providing for herself. She used what she had (her body) to forge ahead during a time of reconstruction. At a time when failure was almost inevitable for all Germans, Maria Braun did what she felt necessary to ‘make something of herself.’ She used her sexuality to gain things such as power, wealth, and an increased social status. While other women during this time were rebuilding the physical destruction of Germany, Maria Braun was rebuilding her own life, by any means necessary.

Some may say that the ways Maria Braun increased her social status were immoral and unethical. I believe that they were, but also believe that a person needs to do whatever they need to in any means necessary to become successful, especially in a situation such as hers. During this period, she was able to effectively use her body and femininity, ‘as well as other things’ to rise to the top, not only economically but socially as well. In desperate times such as these, Maria decided not to perish with the rest of the Germans. This in my opinion was the favorable decision to make. Maria, among all people a German woman found a way to benefit from the horrible effects of World War II. The more power and wealth she had, the less she cared about others. She made a name for herself and not only earned the admiration of co-workers, but the respect of her family and husband as well. Her motives to success were unethical and immoral, but obviously very effective. Her decisions have not only become a movie, but more significantly a legacy.

Bibliography

The Marriage of Maria Braun directed by Rainer W. Fassbinder. Germany, 1978
http://wwwfac.wmdc.German/German1125/index.html. Esa, Mohammed. 26 Sept. 2001.