The Ogre (Day 3)

Discuss the emphasis upon animals in Rominten. What do you think the aurochs symbolize? Or why the emphasis on the hunt? Try to extract as many meanings as possible from this.

To me, the animals represent many things. I also think it is interesting that throughout this whole time we see Tiffauges as being disgusted with the consumption and killing of the animals because prior to this it was him who was obsessed with becoming something by consuming it. I think he finally may be discovering what is going on. The animals go along with the theme of consumption throughout the novel. An example of consumption was when Goering was eating a half of a roast boar and he fed it to the lion who was sitting behind him. Tournier writes, "From then on the leg passed regularly back and forth between the two ogres, who gazed at each other affectionately as they chewed the lumps of black, musky flesh (206). It seems that every time someone commits a bad deed or acts like an animal they are described as an ogre, a ferocious creature that does harm to others. I thought it was bizarre that after killing the animals, whoever is doing so, laughs and is very happy about it. For example, when the Master of Hunt killed the doe, he was laughing and chortling with glee (210). This portrays the sort of sick mentality that some people have when they commit a horrendous deed, such as killing an innocent person/animal. This immediately made me think of the Holocaust and the fact that the Nazis were happy about what they did. When the horse was shot behind the ear and collapsed, Tiffauges nearly passed out. When the owner removed the horse's "shoes" and the hide, it reminded me of the Holocaust when the Jewish people were killed, the Nazis took some of their belongings and even removed their teeth.

Another interesting moment is when Tiffauges sees a herd of enormous creatures approaching him. They were black and shaggy as bears and humped like bison. Tiffauges recognized them as bulls, but obviously of a prehistoric type, such as depicted in neolithic cave drawings- that is aurochs, with their short horns like daggers and withers rippling with a thick mane (201). To me, this herd symbolizes the Nazis invading and taking over. They are running towards Tiffauges to make him aware of what is coming. I also think it is interesting that they are black because this color symbolizes a lot. Black always means death and foreshadows bad things to come. I did a little research about aurochs and I found out that there is actually a German flag with an auroch's head on it in some region in Germany. Now I am pretty certain that the aurochs represent the terror that the Nazis brought.