The Devil's Arithmetic Theme Of Courage

Imagine waking up to a pungent odor and thousands of grim, lifeless faces. Imagine losing friends one by one, then eventually even family members. Merciless Nazis surrounding the camp, making escape impossible. The only thing one can do is to hope and to be courageous. Courage is a dear friend; fear, however, is a vicious enemy. It was necessary to have courage for Hannah and nearly all of the prisoners in the concentration camp. Lacking courage would cause Hannah to not at least attempt to save Reuven or Rivka. Rivka would not be alive if Hannah was not courageous. Courage is needed to accomplish the majority of task or goals. In The Devil’s Arithmetic, the prevailing theme is courage. In the novel, The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen,

Text evidence can be found on page 140, “When Reuven didn’t answer, Hannah stepped forward. “‘Please sir, his mother is dead.’” Hannah follows her heart because Yitzchak and Reuven already lost their mother (Yitzchak’s wife) and Tzipporah, and she did not want Yitzchak to lose his only child. Reuven did not attempt to answer Commandant Breuer’s question about his mother, which puts him at a severe risk. Breuer could have thought the boy was ignoring him, which could lead to serious consequences. After Hannah finds out Reuven is dead, she blames herself. She did not try to save the boy to look like a better person; rather, her heart wanted to save him. Chaya genuinely did not want him to die, thus, had the courage to speak about his situation. Once again, Hannah knew it was dangerous to ever talk back to authority. The act of doing such things puts a prisoner at a high risk of being chosen. Even though Hannah did not know Reuven well, she still seems to genuinely care for him. Hannah was following her heart. If Chaya did not have that type of courage, she most likely would not have strived to defend Rivka or Reuven. The blokova slapped Hannah for refusing to give away her blue ribbons. Breuer put Reuven to death because he was not in the midden in time. If Yitzchak’s wife was alive and in the camp, she would have been chosen. Reuven’s mother’s death was simply an excuse, Breuer

On page 144, the text claims, “There is a plan… and Yitzchak and Shmuel are part of it.” Everyone in the camp was terrified by the Nazi authorities. Yet, Shmuel, Gitl, and Yitzchak still chose to act, while they still were afraid. They knew of the severe consequences they would face if they were to be caught in the act. Shmuel knew he would die if he were caught. Despite all of the hazards that could face them, Shmuel and Yitzchak still tried to carry out their plan. Although they failed, everyone involved in the group had a large amount of courage. They dared to even go beyond just thinking about escaping. Of course, the group was still terrified of failure. In addition to the first quote on page 159, the text mentions, “Run for your life, Rivka. Run for your future. Run. Run. Run. And remember...untied the knot of the kerchief with trembling fingers…” Even though Hannah herself was terrified, she still tried to save Rivka. To make sure Rivka is not recognized, Chaya takes away the handkerchief. The handkerchief is the only feature Rivka can be identified with. So, by impersonating Rivka, Chaya put herself of being chosen. Hannah is still terrified of the guard and what he would do to the other girls. Even so, Hannah chooses to act even though she was afraid. Overall, Feeling Fear Yet Choosing to Act is a theme that appears that appears