Susan Griffin 2

Griffin Essay, Research Paper

Connections are a big part of Susan Griffin..s essay, Our Secret and the film American Beauty. In both we see connections and a common theme. Griffin ties the past together with the future and creates a web of life experiences which have shaped different individuals lives as well as their beliefs. In the film American Beauty a recurring theme also seems to hint at the past and how it has shaped the present as well as the future. Connections which are presented to us in Griffin..s essay give us a basis for the idea that all things in some way have an unfathomable effect on others. A little seemingly insignificant situation or experience in some ones life can have a vast effect on the way they live through the rest of their lives. It can effect both opinions in general and how stereo types or prejudices towards races or other types of minorities are viewed. Suppression of feelings and how this can be damaging seems to be an idea which comes up in both the movie and the essay. We see the effects of not performing self examination in both Himmler and Colonel Fits. Life experiences and the suppression of feelings associated with these experiences along with not performing self examination can have a vast effect on adult life.

Heinrich Himmler..s life is an example of how not performing self examination and childhood experiences can later affect an individuals life. This lack of self examination along with many feelings and secrets which he kept locked inside caused him to be a hateful and prejudice man. Heinrich was a very influential figure in Nazi Germany and many of his decisions lead to the death of thousands of Jews and other minority groups. In order to understand Himmler..s actions we have to look into his past experiences and try to understand why. Griffin makes it apparent in her essay that

Morse 2

Himmler..s father Gebhard did not allow his son to express his feelings in his journal, which he was required to write in everyday. Griffin states that

In the last few years I have been searching for, though for what precisely I cannot say. Something still hidden which lies in the direction of Heinrich Himmler..s life. I have been in Berlin and Munich on this search, and I have walked over the gravel at Dachau… hoping to find a door into the mind of this man, even as his character first forms so that I may learn how it is he becomes himself.(Griffin 407)

As a boy all of his inner feelings and artistic abilities which might allow him to express himself were suppressed by his father and his insistence that Himmler stick to factual information and his daily activities when writing in his journal. This insistence on his father..s behalf taught him the wrong types values. This taught him to hold his emotions inside and ignore them. The reason why the way he was treated as a child had such a vast effect on his future is that it did not teach him a way to escape emotions. Instead of looking at the reasons for feeling the way that he did or questioning why he felt like this he was simply taught to obey with no questions asked. Perhaps this taught him to hold prejudice views by giving him the mentality that asking questions like why we are killing these people or why are they different than us were unimportant. Through his past he was taught to accept despite what he might feel inside and this is why he performed the deadly tasks without doubting that he was doing the right thing. Himmler..s past gives us much insight as to why this man was who he was. Feelings which Himmler was forced to keep within as a child taught him to be secretive and suppressive. Secrets which he was forced

Morse 3

to keep as a child were translated into his life as an adult through his skill at gathering and keeping secrets as the head of the Secret Police. We can see that through Himmler..s suppressed youth many of these emotions which he kept bottled up inside shaped his adult personality. Secrets which were both his emotions and those of others were his obsession and the reason for his beliefs. ..His thoughts were like paralyzed limbs..(408). Keeping all of his feelings inside did not allow an outlet for them. Feelings of hatred, fear and even happiness are important to let out. Throughout his life he was taught to suppress these feelings. Thinking that these feelings are wrong is a terrible thing. It is terrible because when no outlet is created you can almost loose these emotions. If they are not practiced we can fail to see the importance in things and just go about daily life with a warped sense of reality. If this is done certain things like respect for human life and respect for individuality can be lost. This idea is at the root of why Himmler became the man that he was. He was a very racist and hateful person. Himmler may have also used his high position as an outlet for theses emotions, especially for his anger. During childhood an individuals personality is formed. This is the time in life when you are most influenced by others. We are influenced through violence, habits and interactions with others. Himmler..s childhood and the way he was forced as a child to suppress his feelings were major factors which contributed to his hatred for homosexuals and Jews and others who he condemned as an adult.

The missile, which Griffin discusses, is in many ways is a representative of Heinrich..s life. ..The mis