| Ruth talks to Helene. Ruth is basically a gentle
person, but firm in her convictions, a lover of Mozart, a humanist of the
middle way. (Contrast Bettina's sharpness, her anti-Semitism, her
reactionary aesthetic. Contrast also Smiley with his inevitable religious
and euro-centric biases.) Ruth urges Helene to break the bounds with Eric.
Although he has brought her to this country, it is time now for her to
claim her own fate, strike out on her own. She has her superb art. |
| Helene, thank Eric for bringing you out of a dark place and tell him
good-bye. You don't owe him your body or your voice, which is queenly and
expresses all the suffering of this terrible century. Eric is a genius but
he wants to destroy the music we love. Oh I know, he seems contained and
cool, but look into his eye. He's a cauldron of rage. Tell him good-bye,
Helene. |
