Grenzuberschreitungen in Esther Dischereits 'Joemis Tisch', Barbara Honigmanns 'Soharas Reise' and Lena Kuglers 'Wie viele Zuge'

Over the past twenty years German-Jewish authors of the second and third generation have been exploring the complexity of their identity by linking the suppressed history of their Jewish parents' suffering during the Holocaust with their present-day experiences. This thesis argues that Esther Dischereit in Joëmis Tisch, Barbara Honigmann in Soharas Reise, and Lena Kugler in Wie viele Züge use the trope of border crossing in the portrayal of their female protagonists' search for identity. The three women find themselves crossing borders, literally and/or metaphorically, between different ethnic, cultural, religious, and geographical spheres. The thesis demonstrates how border crossings shape the search for a place within family and society for each of the three protagonists in different ways. While in Esther Dischereit's Joëmis Tisch identity remains elusive, the protagonist of Soharas Reise liberates herself from her husband's repressive practice of Judaism and re-defines her role as a mother. The protagonist of Wie viele Züge begins to accept her dual cultural heritage when she is confronted with the truth about her Jewish family during a trip to her father's hometown. Although the three protagonists achieve different degrees of self-awareness at the end of their quests, the texts share the common view that the women's search for identity remains incomplete.