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Herr Hagenbeck
Herr Oberndorff is Evelyn’s husband in “Red Peter’s Little Lady.” Just before the story begins, Oberndorff was called up to fight in World War I but prior to his departure, he trained Peter and then Hazel to become human. For much of the story, Peter describes Oberndorff neutrally. But after he and Evelyn get the news that Oberndorff died at the front, they admit that Oberndorff was both physically and emotionally abusive to them. For this reason, neither of them regrets his death.
Herr Oberndorff Quotes in Only the Animals
The Only the Animals quotes below are all either spoken by Herr Oberndorff or refer to Herr Oberndorff. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Red Peter’s Little Lady: Soul of Chimpanzee
Quotes
I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you, before I was fully human, and from across that gulf of understanding and experience, somehow, miraculously, you felt something for me in return. You alone inspired me to become human, not your husband’s relentless mazes and sorting tasks and word repetitions, not his tantrums when I didn’t do what he wanted, not the whipping, not the sweet fruit he dangled just out of my reach. I wanted to be human so that I might reach out across that chasm and touch you, be touched by you.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Only the Animals LitChart as a printable PDF.
Herr Oberndorff Quotes in Only the Animals
The Only the Animals quotes below are all either spoken by Herr Oberndorff or refer to Herr Oberndorff. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Red Peter’s Little Lady: Soul of Chimpanzee
Quotes
I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you, before I was fully human, and from across that gulf of understanding and experience, somehow, miraculously, you felt something for me in return. You alone inspired me to become human, not your husband’s relentless mazes and sorting tasks and word repetitions, not his tantrums when I didn’t do what he wanted, not the whipping, not the sweet fruit he dangled just out of my reach. I wanted to be human so that I might reach out across that chasm and touch you, be touched by you.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
