Value Orientation by Herta Müller on the Example of the Film Journey of Hope by Xavier Koller
The film Journey of Hope by Xavier Koller (1990) tells the story of an immigration struggle of a Turkish family from Maraş (Eastern Anatolia) for a better life in paradisiacal Switzerland. Switzerland is a country where Haydar and his family can find happiness. Haydar, his wife Meryem and one of their children Mehmet Ali undertake a dangerous journey from Maraş to Switzerland in order to make this life possible. The topographical barriers of the country escalate on the Swiss border surrounded by the Alps. Even though the immigrants arrive in Switzerland, this Journey of Hope for a happier and better life fails with the death of the child due to the cold of the mountains. Thus, paradisiacal Switzerland turns into the land of cold and death. We analyze the change of Switzerland’s international image and its role as an isolated country from the spatial point of view in this article. The article also tries to answer the questions as to what extent the value orientation of the characters changes and to what role the tragedy increased by the death of the child plays for this value orientation, which is also criticized by Herta Müller in her essay The Fish in the Gym. Herta Müller, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009, criticizes in her essay, how the director who touches on the refugee problem uses the death of the child as an instrument.
Werteorientierung bei Herta Müller am Beispiel des Filmes Reise der Hoffnung von Xavier Koller
In dem Film Reise der Hoffnung von 1990 des Schweizer Regisseurs Xavier Koller geht es um den Kampf der Auswanderung einer türkischen Familie aus Maraş, um ein besseres Leben in der paradiesischen‘ Schweiz zu erreichen. Für Haydar und seine Familie stellt die Schweiz ein Land dar, in dem sie ihr Glück finden können. Um dieses Leben zu ermöglichen, begeben sich Haydar, seine Frau Meryem und eines ihrer Kinder, Mehmet Ali, auf eine gefährliche Reise von Maraş bis in die Schweiz. Die topographischen Barrieren, die Absperrungen auf der Reise eskalieren zuletzt an der Grenze der von den Alpen umgebenen Schweiz. Auch wenn die Auswanderer doch noch in der Schweiz ankommen, scheitert diese Reise der Hoffnung auf ein glücklicheres und besseres Leben mit dem Verlust des Kindes, das wegen der Kälte in den Bergen stirbt. Somit wird für sie die paradiesische Schweiz zum Land der Kälte und des Todes. In unserem Beitrag werden die Veränderungen der internationalen ImageVorstellungen über die Schweiz und deren Rolle als ein isoliertes Land aus einer bestimmten ‚räumlichen‘ Perspektive analysiert. Dabei wird auch versucht, die Frage zu beantworten, inwiefern sich die Werteorienterung der Personen in diesem Film ändert und welche Rolle die durch den Tod des Kindes verstärkte Tragik für diese Werteorientierung spielt, so wie es auch von Herta Müller in ihrem Aufsatz Der Fisch in der Turnhalle kritisiert wird. Herta Müller, die den Nobelpreis für Literatur erhalten hatte, kritisiert in ihrem Aufsatz, dass Koller, der sich mit der Flüchtlingsproblematik beschäftigt, den Tod des Kindes als Instrument benutzt.
Journey of Hope begins with a ritual scene. Yaşar and his family get a postcard from a friend showing the majestic Swiss mountains, which he refers to as a paradise of milk and butter (in Müller’s words: “the mountains in the snow like cake cuts”, 1992, p. 52). Yaşar sells his cattle in order to finance his journey. Yaşar then sells his belongings as he needs more money to be able to travel with his wife. However, his wife Meryem does not want to leave her children. Following his grandfather’s advice, Yaşar and Meryem take their little son Mehmet Ali on the journey so as to provide a better future for him. The two also believe that Mehmet Ali can be a hope (future guarantee) for their life in Switzerland and for the children, who stay in Turkey.
From Maraş Yaşar, Meryem and Mehmet Ali first drive to Istanbul. Normally, they would have traveled by train, but since Mehmet Ali does not have a passport and only a little money, they are forced to travel to Italy on a container ship. They arrive in Naples and are taken to Milan by a truck driver from Naples. From there, they are taken by human smugglers with other refugees to the border between Italy and Switzerland, where the Swiss Alps begin. Since it is snowing, Mehmet Ali freezes to death.
Following the death of Mehmet Ali, Switzerland turns into hell for Yaşar and his family. All the paradisiacal attributes that represented Switzerland end up symbolizing the personal tragedy of this once hopeful family at the end of the film. It can be concluded that for the characters, the values change through spatial experiences.
Switzerland is a potential paradise for many who live in poor conditions. They expect to find their fortune by fleeing to rich countries like Switzerland. This wish is probably conceivable for those who grow up listening to fairy tales with happy ending. Is it really that easy to get rich in a foreign country? In The Journey of Hope, this dream is not easy to achieve. The adventurous journey of Haydar and his family from Turkey to Switzerland shows us how difficult it is to leave one’s home and flee to a foreign land. What is tragic is that Haydar and Meryem lose their son Mehmet Ali at the end of this journey. Based on this tragic loss, we would like to analyze in our article how values change on the journey from Maraş to Switzerland. Since the values change spatially or are bound to the space, we will first treat the geographical location and the paradisiacal image of Switzerland in connection with the considerations of the Swiss author Peter Stamm. Then we will attempt to illustrate the route taken by the characters with the help of maps. Finally, the value orientation in the film is analyzed using the value model of Arnim Regenbogen.
We analyze the change of Switzerland’s international image and its role as an isolated country from the spatial point of view in this article. The article tries to answer the following questions: to what extent does the value orientation of the characters change? And to what role the death of the child plays for this value orientation, which is also criticized by Herta Müller in her essay The Fish in the Gym.
