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Mother Night is Vonnegut\'s third novel and centers on an American playwright, Howard Campbell, who finds himself in Germany when WWII erupts. Rather than return to the States he is convinced by an American secret agent to remain in Germany as a spy while posing as a Nazi propagandist.He does this job all too well and is considered by many to be one of the most powerful war criminals. After the war he returns home and plods along in obscurity, until, late in his life he confides his true identity to his neighbour, who, in reality, is a Russian spy. His address is given to American nazi organisations who celebrate him as their hero. His long lost wife appears again, but in truth the woman who pretends to be her is her sister, a Russian spy as well. Betrayed by his friend and lover, he turns himself in to his Jewish dentist and is taken to Israel to stand trial for his war crimes. When the American agent who recruited him offers proof of his true identity he commits suicide. 'Tonight is the night I will hang Howard W. Campbell for crimes against himself'
This novel is about innocence and guilt, about truth and fiction, about love and betrayal. It is a challenge to our moral sense.
Is Howard W. Campbell guilty? And of what? By carrying out the orders of the government of the United States he committed crimes against mankind. By writing brilliant propaganda pieces he turned against his own art, but lived very well with his beloved wife. In order to be a good spy he was a good Nazi. So it becomes difficult to distignuish between guilt and innocence. 'We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about wht we pretend to be.'
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