The Causing Aspects of Johannes Betzler's Obsessive Love in Caging Skies (2004)

Abstract

This article is entitled The Causing Aspects of Johannes Betzler’s Obsessive Love in Caging Skies (2004). It is a fiction novel written by Christine Leunens that tells a story of Johannes Betzler and Elsa Kor. As an avid Hitler believer, Johannes was furious when he found that his parents hid a Jewish girl named Elsa Kor behind a false wall in their house. However, his initial anger slowly turned into interest, love, and then obsession. In order to reveal the aspects that caused Johannes Betzler’s obsessive love for Elsa Kor, this article used a qualitative descriptive method to analyse the data. This study obtained the data from the narrations and conversations between Johannes and his parents especially his father in Caging Skies (2004). Using family communication pattern theory by McLeod and Chaffee (1972; 1973) and attachment theory by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (1957; 1966), this study has found two aspects that caused Johannes Betzler’s obsessive love for Elsa. Those two aspects are his communication pattern and attachment style with his parents.