Hope/Optimism
The most extraordinary thing about the victims of the Holocaust was their ability to retain hope in such dark times. Hope and optimism for a good resolution arguably kept a will to survive in the Jews, and they displayed such hope through their worship, trust in their family, and wishes to prevail. In reality, hope most likely died in most of the Holocaust victims, and perhaps a loss in hope led to many of the deaths. In the list below, I will provide specific quotes relating to this theme that detail how hope progressed throughout the novel.
- “Confidence soared. Suddenly we felt free of the previous nights’ terrors. We gave thanks to God.” (pg. 27)
- “Every encounter filled us with joy-yes joy: Thank God! You are still alive!” (pg. 35)
- “Don’t lose hope… Have faith in life, a thousand times fate… Help each other. That is the only way to survive.” (pg. 41)
- “Our moral was much improved. A good night’s sleep had done its work. Friends met, exchanged a few sentences. We spoke of everything without ever mentioning those who had disappeared. The prevailing opinion was that the war was about to end.” (pg. 42)
- “‘Mother is still a young woman,’ my father once said. “She must be in a labor camp. And Tzipora, she is a big girl now. She too must be in a camp...’How we would have liked to believe that. We pretended, for what if one of us still did believe?” (pg. 46)
- “Bite your lips, little brother… Don’t cry. Keep your anger, your hate, for another day, for later. The day will come but not now… Wait. Clench your teeth and wait…” (pg. 53)
- “But we no longer feared death, in any event not this particular death. Every bomb that hit filled us with joy, gave us renewed confidence.” (pg. 60)
- “‘It is not certain yet. There’s still a chance. Today, they will do another selection… a decisive one…” (pg. 74)
- “‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘Everything will be alright.’... Every one of his words was healing and every glance of his carried a message of hope.” (pg. 79)
- “‘Perhaps the Russians will arrive before…’” (pg. 81)
- “These words of encouragement, even coming at they did from the mouths of our assassins, were of great help. Nobody wanted to give up now, just before the end, so close to our destination, Our eyes searched the horizon for the barbed wire of Gleiwitz. Our only wish was to arrive their quickly.” (pg. 92)