The Devil’s Arithmetic The Devil’s Arithmetic a page turning novel that has its readers hooked from start to finish. I did The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. I choose this book because the Holocaust interest me. After I read the book I thought it beautifully represented the Holocaust without getting into the ugly stuff. My paper will be organized into five sections summery, protagonist, antagonist, recommendation, and closing. I hope you enjoy this paper.
Summery
This book starts out in in modern time New York. Hannah is on her way to a Seder at her grandpa’s house, she is not excited to go and is upset about it. Even jealous that other kids get to eat candy while she has to eat bitter herbs and listen to her Grampa yell at the TV whenever…show more content… One day a guard catches them talking, he chooses three of the four of them to go with him Rivkah, Shifre, and Esther, but Hannah switches places with Rivkah. On their way to the gas chamber, she tells Esther and Shifre that six million Jews will die, but that Jews will one day go to America.
Protagonist
The protagonist is Hannah also known as Chaya. Even though they are the same person they are very different. Hannah is your average selfish, impatient teenager with a creative side. While Chaya is selfless and brave in the end, giving her life so Rivkah could live. You can clearly see how the experience has changed her. The book also points out not to judge what you do not know, Hannah was very judgmental about her grandpa and aunt in the beginning, but later she understands why they act strange.
Antagonist
The antagonist in the book is the Nazis. They are the reason Chaya died and is forced to do harsh labor. Often described as monsters by the Chaya and Gitl, they are flat characters. Following orders blindly and treating the Jews as if they were game pieces in a game. Killing prisoners, who stood out or resisted by firing squad or gas chambers. Strangely, in this book the antagonist is not defeated within the book, but instead their destruction is briefly mentioned at the end of the book by
