"The Encounter (1938)" Summary

Herr Schuster, a veteran of World War I and now a commander of the Nazi storm troops in his spare time, pushes the boys unmercifully as their physical education teacher. He loves forced marches with full packs, and one day orders everyone to load their satchels and briefcases with bricks and orders them out in formation. He teaches them a marching chant about how F'hrer has come to restore Germany, but from enslavement to the Jews. They circle the town twice in 90 minutes of steady running and chanting. Shuster mocks anyone who falls by the side, injured. Another class approaches, and when Shuster recognizes Friedrich, he demands his boys show what Germans do to inferior Jews. They run with new vigor, looking straight ahead, chanting about the Jews perishing in the Red Sea, bringing peace to the world.

"The Encounter (1938)" Analysis