The Dutch Wife is a novel that addresses the harsh realities of the Dutch and other religions during World War II as they fight for survival against Hitler and his Nazi army. The novel focuses on the story of Marijke de Graaf as she faces the challenge of slowly dying in a concentration camp or joining the camp brothel as her only means of survival. Analyzed through feminist, postcolonial, and cultural literary theories, Ellen Keith's novel The Dutch Wife demonstrates that those who are considered inferior by society will inevitably become victims of oppression. This is reflected in the mistreatment of women, the tyrannical government of Germany, and the alienation of Jews and homosexuals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay When analyzing feminist conflict theory, the protagonist, Marijke de Graaf, instantly becomes a victim of oppression due to her gender. As the Nazis continued to colonize Germany, women became targets of sex trafficking. In Buchenwald Prison, women are placed in brothels where they are subjected to sexual, mental, verbal and physical violence at the hands of men. Men objectify women, creating a cycle of oppression that feeds on a patriarchal mentality. When Marijke is placed in the brothel, the brothel supervisor says: “Each man has fifteen minutes, no more than twenty. No fancy positions, just a man at the top. [Women] will receive up to eight clients each night…, [and] regular injections against pregnancy and venereal disease” (Keith 46). Women are a marginalized group in society because they are portrayed as low-level individuals who cannot express their feelings. Women are required to follow strict rules imposed on them in the brothel: they are the reward given to privileged men. Stereotypically, women are hidden in the shadows of men, where men control every situation. Women must follow their orders for fear of punishment for disobedience. If the women contravene the privileged prisoners or the Schutzstaffel guards, they are brutally beaten with sticks or raped. Marijke is presented as an object belonging to Karl Muller, a Schutzhaftlagerfuhrer, who tends to oppress the former. In the text, Karl states that he "got rid of the haughty SS supervisor...hoping that this would keep his men away from Marijke...[he wants] her [himself]" (186). Marijke is described as fragile. and weak because she is constantly identified as belonging to Karl who has no right to freedom. Karl is a dominant individual as he continually beats men who dare to touch or have sex with Marijke, further indicating that she is no longer seen as a human being, but rather a possession. In society, women are characterized as lacking self-defense, as a man's role is to offer protection since their bodies are built to be strong. The protagonist is not the only victim of feminist oppression; Luciano's mother is also shown as a low-key character. Luciano's father, Arturo Wagner, controls his wife by ordering her to constantly follow his orders. Luciano says: “[she] wore her nursing shoes under her skirt when setting the table, making sure to arrange the cutlery perpendicular to the edge of the table, just the way [her father] liked it. Her hair tied up the way [he] liked it, just like he loved her… he forbade herto invite guests without [his] permission” (124). Women are stereotyped as being very concerned about their appearance because they have to dress appropriately and perform certain tasks for their husbands. Luciano's mother is oppressed by the male family member who controls her life by stating that she cannot make simple choices about the household, such as who they are allowed to invite. Luciano's mother constantly tries to please her husband; thus reinforcing the common stereotype that women submit to men. Through the critical theory of feminism, the women of Buchenwald, Marijke, and Luciano's mother are all depicted as weak female figures, forced to follow the orders of men because their gender makes them inferior. According to this theory, the people of Germany were immediately oppressed by the Nazis as they began to control their lives and colonize their lands. In Germany, “silence spread across Amsterdam as the weeks went by, [and] the impression that the city was holding its breath alongside [Marijke and Theo]… [The Nazis] broke into the house of [Marijke] and separated her. of [her] husband” (6). As Germany continues to take over more and more land, residents are forced to leave their homes and separate from their spouses to help Hitler amass a larger army and create an entirely new colony. The action of holding one's breath symbolizes when one expects something to happen but has no hope of it happening. Amsterdam and Marijke all hope that Germany will stop imposing its economy, culture and government on them; however, ultimately colonization will occur because opposing countries will not act against Hitler. This leaves the people of Germany oppressed. Germany becomes a totalitarian state as Germans, communists, Jews, and others are forced to do work for Hitler's benefit. In Buchenwald Prison, Karl Muller states that every prisoner will help "[the Nazis] rebuild and rearm, and every Buchenwald prisoner will help Germany win the war" (222). Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany was considered a more superior and stronger country compared to others as Hitler took control of eleven countries. He begins to eliminate all political opposition and amalgamate their power. The dictatorship was in action when Karl and the Nazis took advantage of the locals by enslaving them - they were forced to "build barracks, railways, roads" to achieve a higher power status in the society that would be “indestructible” when attacked from power. allied countries. The prisoners were turned into personal slaves to rebuild Buchenwald and were not given the opportunity to disobey. Whether residents were imprisoned in Buchenwald or Buenos Aires, everyone had a task to complete that would benefit the dictator. In the Buenos Aires prison, Luciano, a journalism student, was taken from his family where "'[he] was forced into a labor job: translating documents" (121). Luciano had to obey orders and create “business documents” to enter the United States of America, as well as “translate propaganda.” As a journalism student in Argentina who spoke English, if he disobeyed orders he would be tortured or killed. Through postcolonial theory, residents of Germany and Argentina are seen as weak human beings who will not fight against the superior army – Hitler and the Nazis; as a result, they continue to be oppressed and follow orders that only benefit the colonizers. Furthermore, if we examine the theory of cultural criticism, the..