abovescene presentsFritz’sstruggles from the point-of-view of the twoyoung
communists who watch fromadistance and then approach himto present
their analysis of the problem (i.e., the cart istooheavy) and their proposal for
asolution (i.e.,to combine the strength of three people). Their separate arrivals
have the additional benefit of showing the habitus of solidarity as one of obser-
vation, identification, and imitation, with the girl modeling her behavior on the
other boy’sinitial intervention.“Telling stories”meanwhile is denounced as
counterproductive and the value of action affirmed through the linguistic shift
fromasubmissiveschuften(i.e., toil for someone) to the activistzugreifen
(i.e., to grasp, seize, take hold of something). Not surprisingly,the scene ends
offstage, with the arrival of the emboldened trio atameeting of the KJD(Commu-
nistYouth of Germany).
Second lesson: do not accept thingsasthey are–question everything and
everyone, includingparents; there is no better wayofovercoming feelingsofin-
feriority.Thisismainmessageconveyedbyabeloved puppet known as RedKas-
per (see figure 15.2). His exploits werefeatured prominentlyinDer roteKasper,a
series of shortpuppet plays published in Leipzigbythe SPD-affiliated Arbeiter-
Theater-VerlagJahn; his communist counterpart appeared in the KPD’sProletar-
Fig. 15.2Kinderfestder Sozialistischen Arbeiterjugend (SAJ) 1928, photograph. Withpermission
of Archiv der deutschen Jugendbewegung, Witzenhausen, AdJb,F1Nr. Seriennr.297/Bildnr 02.
The EmotionalEducation of the ProletarianChild 283