Annaliesa Harris

 

In The Piano Teacher, Jelineck focuses on the complex character of Erika, a piano teacher who has serious issues. She is controlled by her mother, who she still lives with even though she is 30 years old. Her father was sent to a mental hospital when she was young, and her mother pushed her to become a concert pianist, but she wasn’t good enough so she was forced to teach at the Vienna Observatory. The relationship between mother and daughter plays a strong role in this novel. The mother controls every aspect of ErikaÂ’s life and must know everything she does. She forces her daughter to pursue the piano as if she were a commodity. Erika, however, does not rebel from her mothers grip; rather, she canÂ’t live without it. Erika is obsessed with her mother: she even watches her sleep.

 

The mother did everything to shield Erika from the influence of outsiders throughout her life. This division between the outsiders and the main characters is another conflict in this novel. Erika believes that she is superior to the rest of the world. She enjoys hurting others, like when she goes into the trolley with her instruments. Her elitist attitude is fueled by her mothers patronizing comments. The two ladies constantly make judgments about everyone around them and never interact with anyone else. Both the mother and daughter also view punishment as essential to society.

 

Erika believes that her role as an artist makes her elite, because the masses know nothing about art. The artist is the interpreter of art, which is sacred. Art is timeless and universal, and Erika devotes all of herself into making music. Walter Klemmer, one of ErikaÂ’s students, shares her view of art, and they have long arguments about its value. Klemmer is enamored by Erika because she is older and more experienced. Klemmer, who believes he is always right, wants to conquer her. Erika is disgusted with Klemmer at first, but is soon attracted to him.

 

ErikaÂ’s struggle with her body and sensuality is another theme in this novel. She never experiences anything sensual because her mother bred her to be numb to everything. Erika is often described as a mummy in the narrative, because her body is dead to her. When she was younger, she cut herself though she could not feel the pain. She is completely removed from her body. However, she frequents peep shows and watches porn. She prefers to observe rather than take part in the act of sex. She does not trust men because her mother forbade her to interact with boys throughout her life. ErikaÂ’s character is juxtaposed with her cousin when the narrative jumps back to when she was younger. Her cousin was a playboy who lived for his senses. He exposed his body proudly and ran around outside, while Erika had to stay inside and play piano. ErikaÂ’s mother and grandmother adored him and accepted his indulgent ways. The role of women and men in regard to sexuality are addressed throughout the novel. Men are depicted as dominant, while women are feminine and submissive.

 

The story is in third person and it is told from an outside, unknown observer who takes on the point of view of the different characters. The author uses similes and elaborate metaphors throughout the story. These metaphors are often hard to connect with the narrative and are introduced abruptly. The “outside world” is described with curt observations and judgments, especially when the narrator is following Erika or her mother. Sometimes the narrator becomes neutral and describes an entire place or snapshots of random people’s lives. The narrative also jumps from present to past and describes Erika’s childhood. This shows the evolution of Erika’s character, which is nice because she is so complex.

 

I have seen this movie before, and I liked it a lot, but I was confused by ErikaÂ’s character. The book fills in the gaps about ErikaÂ’s character and makes her actions much less confusing.

 

- Why are Klemmer and Erika attracted to each other? Is this infatuation genuine or is it just for personal fulfillment?

 

- Why does Erika go to peep shows? What does her obsession with observing sex have to do with her view of the opposite sex?

 

-Is the narrator actually neutral? Does the narrator always have the same point of view? Where do the metaphors play into the story?

 

- Can an artist be devoid of feeling? How is art portrayed in this novel?

 

- Why is Erika how she is? Is her mother fully to blame?