There Once Was A Man Who Slew His Four Cats...

"Once there was a musician who slew his four cats, stuffed them in a garbage can, left the building, and went to visit friends" (184).

I think perhaps the greatest irony in The Tin Drum is this quote about Meyn. When the SA expelled Meyn due to dishonorable conduct, I admit I laughed. What type of ideology allows an act of cruelty to animals to be unacceptable, and mass genocide not? It almost seems unrealistic when we really look at it, but as we discussed in 100 Years of Solitude, the real is seen as unreal in these novels. In today's mindset, no one would ever consider what the Germans did to the Jews as comparable to animal cruelty, let alone less important. However, in their mindset, what they did was seen as okay. Their actions were accepted as normal. By using this event, Grass illustrates that we cannot let ourselves be blinded by what's really going on around us.