Karl-Heinz Weber / “Charlie” Character Analysis

Karl-Heinz Weber, or “Charlie,” is Miriam Weber’s husband during the 1970s, before his arrest and mysterious death in a Stasi prison cell. He’s considered a “subversive” in East Germany because of his involvement in publications that criticize Communism and the German state. Shortly after being arrested, the Stasi tell Miriam that Charlie has hanged himself in his cell. Miriam, however, is suspicious, and spends years trying in vain to learn the truth about Charlie’s final moments. Charlie’s untimely death could be said to symbolize the atrocities and human rights abuses of the Stasi and the East German state.