Trauma survivors often cope by investing all their energy into silencing and suppressing the heartbreaking events of the past. One such survivor is Anton Steenwijk, the protagonist of Harry Mulisch's 1982 novel The Assault. Especially in the first chapter after "the incident", which takes place during the liberation of Amsterdam, Mulisch describes Anton's experiences and condition as a trauma survivor. By introducing one of the main conflicts of the novel, deepening Anton's characterization, and using symbolism, Mulisch illustrates how, despite all attempts to suppress the past, it is anchored in the subconscious and cannot be escaped. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay One of the main conflicts in Mulisch's novel is an internal conflict between Anton's desire to move forward in his life and his inability to face his past. to achieve closure. This ties directly into the idea that one can only escape their past if they are prepared to face it. This chapter is crucial in introducing this conflict as it describes Anton's evolution in the years following the "incident", in which his family was murdered, his house burned down, and everything he knew destroyed. Although Anton believes that the war “has never really been a part of him and never will” (Mulisch, 55), he is unable to continue his usual life because “[the war] was part of him, so that in all, there was not much left for him” (56). This indicates that his entire life was now tainted by these atrocious events. To avoid reliving this pain and anguish, he believes it is better to try to forget the past. However, in doing so, he also prevents himself from living a life filled with happiness, ease and hope. For example, Anton prefers “not to [feel] like [his aunt and uncle's] son” (56) because this might diminish the creation of emotional or deep connections similar to those in his past. Obviously, Anton wants to forget the past and move forward since he never even “took the trouble to read any” (57) of the publications on the German occupation. However, this keeps him cemented in his past as he does not deal with the events and allows the memories to live in his subconscious. Hence his recurring nightmares about the “incident”. This internal conflict between the desire to move forward and the refusal to face the past is why Anton is unhappy for many years and unable to create meaningful connections with others. The introduction of this conflict is vital to the progression of the novel, as it relates to one of the novel's major themes of the deleterious effects of suppressing one's past and justifies many of Anton's decisions and actions in the future . Additionally, Mulisch illustrates a crucial dynamic change in Anton's personality and thus suggests that despite Anton's desires to escape the past, it continually affects his life. During the first episode, Anton is portrayed as a curious and cheerful boy who played with other children and spent time thinking and contemplating ordinary scenes he often encountered. However, after the incident, Anton “had no desire to know” (57) anything about the war or the fate of his family. This drastic change in his level of curiosity is illustrated primarily by the repetition of Anton's indifferent attitude toward any information regarding the past. Through indirect characterization, the reader can infer that Anton's refusal to "read any of the [published war documents]" (57) and his lack of desireof knowing “[details]” (56) about the death of his family demonstrate the rapid dissipation of his curiosity that was present during his childhood. Additionally, before the incident, Anton was indirectly characterized as a sensitive boy who disliked being forgotten by his family and who craved the companionship and affection of others, as shown when he is comforted by Truus in the prison cell. This is a stark contrast to the first chapter of the second episode in which Anton isolates himself from society and does not "participate" in the activities of other "boys his age" (55). Furthermore, Anton felt like a guest in his uncle and aunt's house and not "like their son" (56), which indicates a more distant relationship and suggests that he does not wish to become attached to others. This isolation highlights how the past continues to haunt him despite his efforts to suppress it, because he cannot move on with his life. These dynamic characteristics of Anton are vital because they indicate how the past continues to affect his development and character, despite his attempts to separate himself from the distressing events of his past. Despite these aspects of his dynamic characterization, some of Anton's characteristics remain. static. Most importantly, his indifference and impartiality towards those involved in the war remains the same. During the incident, the Nazis are presented through Anton's point of view since it is written in limited third person. In his description of the Nazis, he rarely uses biased or critical language, but perceives them simply as "soldiers" or "officers" carrying out their duties. Anton has no prejudice against the Nazis and considers them ordinary human beings, while others, such as Truus, his cellmate, refer to them as "bastards" (37). Anton is able to recognize when they give him a "friendly nod" (43) and was devastated and "breathing convulsively" (49) when Schulz, an officer who accompanied Anton to Amsterdam, died. This indifference and lack of discrimination reappears in the second episode through indirect characterization when Anton struggles to determine whether "the German with the scar" (57) had compassion for not killing Anton as the Nazis “in Poland and Russia” (58). or cruel because he “executed the inhabitants” (58) of Anton’s house. Anton's inability to form an opinion about the Nazis is an effect of his internal conflict and refusal to deal with his past. Additionally, this illustrates Mulisch's criticism of people's predetermined views of others and their inability to perceive the Nazis as human beings simply doing their jobs to get by. Additionally, Mulisch reinforces the idea that the past cannot be escaped through his use of symbolism. . Mulisch uses symbolism to open the second episode with the depiction of a "cloud of ash that rises into the [air] of a volcano [...] and continues to rain [...] for years » (55). This prominent image symbolizes how an incident, such as a volcanic eruption, creates a chain of events that can persist for years. Describing this through a natural disaster, such as a volcanic eruption, indicates that the repercussions cannot be avoided because it is a natural progression or destiny. Likewise, dictions such as “volcano,” “ash,” and “rain” contain a negative and pernicious connotation related to the “incident” in Anton’s life. The volcanic eruption is a symbol of his burning house and the murder of his family, and how, although unwelcome, this incident will continually haunt Anton "for years" (55). Likewise, the image of the “complex braiding of undulations”,.