Character Analysis: The Light In Hidden Places

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Life or death. Truth or lies. Right or wrong. Life is full of making hard decisions. This book includes tough choices the characters make as they face life-or-death situations. The Nazis constantly pressured their subjects to do the right thing or face harsh consequences. Few of us, however, face decisions that require us to prioritize our life above all else. One of the most terrible lessons taught by the Nazis, according to The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron, was that the only way to survive was to betray your morals or face the consequence of death. An example of betraying your morals in the book is when Mrs. Besserman blackmails Fusia into hiding her children and herself. She actively risks Fusia's life without her full consent. In the book, Fusia had recently rented Tatarska 3 and brought Max, Dzuzia, Sinuek, Dr. Schullnger, and Old Hirsch to her home from the ghetto. She notices two little boys outside and opens the door only to receive a threatening letter. Fusia tells …show more content…

In the book, the Nazis hire Jewish people to patrol the ghettos where they keep Jews and force them to double-cross their own people. Instead of helping the Jews, the Ordeners beat other Jews and even killed some uncooperative ones. Fusia sneaks into the ghetto one night and gets caught by the Orders. Upon interrogation, Fusia calls out the Ordeners' betrayal of the Jews as they sit "back while they are murdered and starved? By loading them onto trains to be…" (193). The Ordeners explain to Fusia that while they dislike their jobs, betraying other Jews ensures their own safety from being put in the ghetto and worse. While betraying other Jews is morally wrong to the Ordeners, it saves their lives and prevents them from being killed in a ghetto or labor