Summary

In Chapter 7, after Katharina draws Hans, they study and discuss Picasso’s paintings of “the wounded minotaur” (51). Over coffee the next morning, Hans remarks on his blissful state.

In Chapter 8, Katharina receives her “official approval form for the trip to Cologne” to see her grandmother (55). It is the first time she will leave East Germany, although she often fantasizes about West Germany.

Hans and Katharina take a walk in her childhood neighborhood. Hans shares a story about his inability to swim. They “go to the Café Arkade” (57). Hans worries about her leaving.

At Hans’s, Katharina finds some of her stray hairs. She tells Hans about her mother’s unhappiness after her divorce and before meeting Ralph. The lovers make plans to walk “the same way [they] went” when they met (61). Before Katharina leaves, Han gives her a page from a...