The memoir "All but My Life", tells of Gerda’s life story as she suffered under Nazi rule. It brings a perspective of the horrors the victims of the Holocaust went through and teaches an important lesson. The theme of the work tells how sustaining hope is crucial to survival and is shown when Gerda believed her life would never change in the beginning, when she found hope from her family in the middle, and how she survived through hope online when she had nothing left during the death march. Hope is one of the main reasons Gerda survived, and the evidence is shown throughout the story. Gerda already showed her aspirations and beliefs at the beginning of the story. She explained how she had never seen "Bielitz, my home town, frightened."(page …show more content…
An example is how Jews weren’t allowed to buy certain goods. The quote, "Niania bought us the things Jews couldn’t buy: sugar, jam, sweets, and the occasional egg" (page 35) proves how the Jews were restricted from getting basic items. Another example is how Jews were dehumanized, like when the Jewish-owned factory had a sign that said, "Dogs and Jews not allowed to enter." (page 26). The Jews weren’t even allowed to enter their own work buildings anymore and were degraded to being like dogs, as proved by the sign. Despite this, Gerda found hope and improved her morale through her family. She explained how Niania, who raised Gerda when she was little, is "a proud and simple woman; her spirit shone in that world of betrayal." (page 35). The world of betrayal is the world ruled by the Nazi Germans, who suppressed the Jews, but Gerda found hope in Niania, who would risk her life to help her family. That is why Niania is described as a shining spirit. Gerda realized the life she had taken for granted before the war; she now appreciates her family even more and finds aspirations in them. When Gerda was contemplating suicide, her father said, "Whatever you are thinking now is wrong; it is cowardly." (page 32) Her father is referencing the thoughts of death that Gerda has, and she finds hope in his words because she takes them to heart. In the