The Boy Who Threw the Stone (Book IV: Lacerations, facing p.134) 1949

Editor: So, this is Fritz Eichenberg’s "The Boy Who Threw the Stone," from 1949. It’s a print, and it has this really stark, shadowy feel. It’s kind of menacing. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see a potent representation of juvenile anger, and much more. Eichenberg, deeply affected by WWII, consistently grappled with themes of violence and justice. Think about the time this was made – just after the war. What suppressed rage and trauma do you think are embodied here? The stone-throwing is rarely just an act of simple rebellion, is it? Editor: Definitely. It feels like it's connected to a bigger feeling of powerlessness. Curator: Precisely. Now, notice the setting: bleak, stark. What does it suggest to you about the boy’s socio-economic situation? Consider his clothing, his stance, and the looming shadow. They contribute to an understanding of marginalization. Where might that anger be directed? And toward whom? Editor: It makes you wonder what he's been through, what systems have failed him. Is he a victim or aggressor, or both? Curator: That duality is key. Eichenberg challenges us to look beyond simple judgments. Are we looking at a future perpetrator shaped by circumstance? This print functions as a call to consider how societal failures foster anger and violence, particularly in marginalized youth. Editor: That’s such a crucial point. The piece really speaks to cycles of violence and the responsibility we all share. I'll never see a stone thrown the same way again. Curator: It highlights the intersection of personal struggle and systemic injustice, doesn’t it? Hopefully that also gives us pause when we judge such actions in our own contemporary context.