2004-05-17
Hannah Arendt on Aldolf Eichmann | from The Banality of Evil:
Arendt considers Eichmann "terribly and terrifyingly normal" (p. 276). Eichmann in Jerusalem leaves us wondering not only if justice was achieved in Eichmann's case, but also whether the lessons Arendt believes the trial has taught will make a difference in the future | ¶ 03:03
Eichmann told the court that he saw himself as a friend of the Jews, helping them leave a culture for which they were unsuited and move on to better lives elsewhere. He considered himself an ally of Zionists, whom he thought shared his "idealism." Arendt believes him—at least, she believes that this was how he saw himself. "Despite all the efforts of the prosecution," Arendt writes, "everybody could see that this man was not a ‘monster,' but it was difficult indeed not to suspect that he was a clown" (p. 54). The transcript of Eichmann's examination by Israeli police while awaiting trial prompts her to observe that "the horrible can be not only ludicrous but outright funny" (p. 48). She dwells on his shallow intellect, his clichéd speech (which she interprets as a means of consoling himself), his infinite capacity for self-deception, and his profound detachment from reality.
Arendt considers Eichmann "terribly and terrifyingly normal" (p. 276). Eichmann in Jerusalem leaves us wondering not only if justice was achieved in Eichmann's case, but also whether the lessons Arendt believes the trial has taught will make a difference in the future | ¶ 03:03
