This study examines the reasons for the protagonists’ decision to remain in East Germany (GDR) in Christa Wolf’s Der geteilte Himmel (Divided Heaven, 1963) and Brigitte Reimann’s Die Geschwister (The Siblings, 1963) from a comparative perspective. Written shortly after the construction of the Berlin Wall, these works reveal the tensions between individual happiness and social responsibility. While Rita (Der geteilte Himmel) acts through a process of individual moral self-examination, Elisabeth (Die Geschwister) is guided by a strong sense of collective responsibility.
Socialist realism; Individual responsibility; Ideological commitment; Brigitte Reimann; Christa Wolf; GDR.