THE WALL JUMPER BY PETER SCHNEIDER IS A COLLECTION FRAGMENTED STORIES BASED ON BOTH EAST AND WEST BERLINERS VIEWS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE BERLIN WALL. FOR ME, THESE SEPARATE STORIES RELATE DIRECTLY TO BERLINERS INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENT FRAGMENTED POINTS OF VIEW OF EACH OTHER AND THE WALL THAT SEPARATES THEM. THESE INDIFFERENT VIEWS OF BERLIN BOTH EAST AND WEST SHAPE AND SUPPORT THIS QUOTE: "BERLIN IS THE WORLDS ONLY OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED SCHIZOPHRENIC CITY". THE WALL ITSELF HAD CREATED THIS SCHIZOPHRENIC IN CITIZENS ON BOTH SIDES. THE WALL HAS NOT ONLY ESTABLISHES A DIVISION BETWEEN TWO CITIES, BUT IT HAD FORMED HATRED TOWARD EACH OTHER. IT ALSO CREATES A CURIOSITY ALONG WITH A DESIRE TO CONQUER THE WALL AND REUNITE WITH WHAT THEY ARE SEPARATED FROM. THE CITIZENS OF BOTH EAST AND WEST BERLIN HAVE LET THE WALL NOT ONLY BECOME A PHYSICAL BARRIER BUT ALSO A MENTAL WALL THAT THEY STRUGGLE TO DEAL WITH. FOR THE CITIZENS, NO MATTER HOW LONG THE WALL STANDS, IT WILL TAKE THEM LONGER, TO TEAR DOWN THE WALL IN THEIR HEADS THAN ANY WRECKING COMPANY WILL NEED FOR THE WALL THEY CAN PHYSICALLY SEE. THIS BOOK DOES A GREAT JOB OF DESCRIBING HOW EAST AND WEST INDIVIDUALS DEAL WITH THE WALL ON A DAILY BASIS. THE WALL JUMPER ALSO DESCRIBES THE OPPOSITE VIEWS OF BOTH SIDES TOWARD EACH OTHER. WAS THERE THIS LEVEL OF HATRED BEFORE THE WALL WENT UP? SURELY NOT. THEREFORE, THE CITIZENS HAVE ALLOWED THE WALL TO FORM THIS COLD-HEARTED FEELING TOWARDS EACH SIDE. ONE MUST ASK WHERE DOES STATE END AND SELF BEGIN? THIS IS A QUESTION THAT THE CITIZENS HAVE STRUGGLE WITH FOR DECADES, INCLUDING THE TIME BEFORE,DURING AND AFTER THE WALL. TO SOME EXTENT, BERLIN AS A WHOLE IS STILL CLASHING WITH THIS, SUCH AS HOW TO PROPERLY DISPLAY THE WALL AS A MEMORIAL.THE WALL JUMPER IS A GREAT INSIGHT TO THE WALL, BUT ITS DESCRIPTION OF WALL STORIES ONLY SCRATCHES THE SURFACE BERLIN'S UN-PURE HISTORY.
