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Theme Of Selflessness In The Devil's Arithmetic

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Have you ever read The Devil’s Arithmetic? This novel is written by Jane Yolen, and is a historical fiction novel about the holocaust. Hannah: the main character, goes back in time to when her family was at the Nazis concentration camps. Hannah starts at her family’s Seder dinner, but when she goes to open the door for Elijah, she gets transported to a little farm house, revealing Shmuel in the hallway. Hannah realizes she isn’t home anymore but deals with what is happening at this time. Hannah becomes very selfless, and she realizes how important family is. This novel reveals 2 themes: Selflessness and the importance of family.

The theme of selflessness is shown in The Devil’s Arithmetic by the things Hannah did in the camps. This make selflessness …show more content…

When Hannah got tot the concentration camp, she went from self-centered to the complete opposite. The camp made her realize that not everyone was as fortunate as she was back home. Hannah did many selfless things at the camp, starting with trying to sneak her helpings of food to the younger children. Because she was doing this, Gitl told her not to, as she needed her own helpings of food in order to survive. Hannah didn’t stop there, she also saved a baby in the camp. The guards were coming, and the children were making the clucking sounds to warn each other about it. The prisoners were all dropping their clothes and jumping into a pile of trash. Hannah grabbed the baby and just jumped into the garbage pile without hesitation. Among all the things that Hannah did in the camp, the best things she did was save Rivka. Esther, Shifre, Hannah, and Rivka were all at the well and the new guard came over to them and began to tell them that they were taking a …show more content…

This makes this theme very important to this novel about the holocaust. In the beginning of the novel, Hannah had to go to her family Seder dinner, but she didn’t want to go. Instead, she complained about having to go. Hannah complained about remembering, “I’m tired of remembering” (Pg.3). Hannah knew about the holocaust because her family told her about it. Hannah had family that went through the holocaust, but never knew what it was like to experience the same pain and misery that they went through. Hannah as a young girl at home never really cared as she was very self-centered. “You have to remember how much family means to them. Grandma lost both her parent to the Nazis before her and her brother managed to escape, and grandpa…….. Will lost everyone but your Aunt Eva. A family of 8 all but wiped out.” (Pg.4) Even after Hannah’s mother told her this, she still didn’t really care too much. Hannah didn’t actually know how much family meant to the family members of hers that went through the holocaust. Hannah didn’t know how much family actually meant until she got sent in time to the camp. After Hannah had gone through all the stuff that her family members had gone through, she finally realized. In the camps, everything that happened to her family back then happened to her. Hannah has experienced everything and now knew all the pain and suffering they had to deal with. She got back and

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