Drums in the Night

Main Characters and Their Development

• Andreas Krause — the main character, returning from the war like a shadow from the past, bearing the mark of his ordeals. His inner conflict between alienation and longing for life is revealed in every gesture, every glance filled with yearning for what was lost and hope for renewal. Krause is a man whose soul is torn between memories of the past and the need to accept a new reality where his place has already been taken by others.
• Anna Balke — Andreas’s beloved, whose fate becomes a battleground between duty and feeling. Her inner world is a delicate fabric of doubt, fear, and love, where every decision echoes in her soul. Anna’s journey takes her from submission to circumstances to the realization of her own will; her development is a search for herself in a world where everything familiar is collapsing.
• Karl Balke — Anna’s father, a man of the old order, striving to maintain a fragile balance between past and present. His figure is a symbol of patriarchal authority, but behind his stern exterior lies anxiety for his loved ones and fear of change.
• Murk — Anna’s fiancé, a representative of the new era, pragmatic and self-assured. His image embodies business calculation and social adaptability; he knows no doubts, but his confidence proves fragile in the face of true feelings and human drama.