Our Secret By Susan Griffin Summary

Susan Griffin’s “Our Secret” is a multidimensional essay with a general purpose running on the surface. However, there is a more profound meaning hidden underneath. Throughout her work, Griffin recalls diary entries of the young Heinrich Himmler and WWII history. She references Himmler’s diary entries he created as a child. Himmler’s father, Gebhard, had an unusually dominant role in the entries. Gebhard would dictate what Himmler was to write in his diary, often verbatim. The essay remains focused on Himmler as he grows up. As the essay develops, Griffin offers comparisons of herself to Himmler, and she finds unnerving similarities. Through these similarities, Griffin reveals the true purpose of her essay. On the surface, her work appears to be about Himmler’s life and WWII; however, by use of strategic formatting and unique examples Griffin is able to make the reader feel more empathetic in cases where one may not have. Griffin recalls a passage with Wernher von Braun. Von Braun oversaw the tunnel construction at a German …show more content…
Griffin comes full circle when she asks the following questions, “Who are we? The question is simple. What we call the self is part of a larger matrix of relationship and society. Had we been born to a different family, in a different time, to a different world, we would not be the same. All the lives that surround us are in us.” (263) The core of Griffin’s point is that we are complexly intertwined into society and each other. She continues to explain that this is what exactly makes us who we are. The society and relationships we have to each other shape us to be who we are. While each of us lives our own lives, we all share a common connection, the ability to feel empathetic for one another. This interconnectedness leads us to form deep feelings of empathy. This is exactly Griffin’s project; she uses creative writing styles to make the reader feel more