The Devil's Arithmetic

The Devil's Arithmetic is an historical novel written by Jane Yolen in 1988. This book tells the story of a Jewish girl, Hannah, who is transported back in time to Poland in 1942, as World War II rages, and ends up in a Nazi Concentration Camp. In the process, she learns to appreciate and treasure Jewish customs.

Summary

As the book begins, Hannah was chosen to symbolically welcome the spirit of the Prophet Elijah. As she opens the apartment door, she is transported back in time and becomes a Jewish girl named Chaya from Lublin, Poland, living with her "Uncle" Shmuel and "Aunt" Gitl because her parents died to sickness. Shmuel is about to be married to his fiancée named Fayge. When Shmuel, Fayge, and the members of both their villages arrive at the synagogue, they are halted by Nazis and taken to the train station.

Forced into sealed cattle cars, they traveled for four days with little food or water. After exiting the boxcars, they discover that during the journey, three people have died of malnutrition and the terrible conditions along the way. Of course, Hannah tries to warn them about what lies ahead, but no one believes her. The men and women are separated from each other and taken to their barracks. They are then forced to hand over their clothes and personal belongings, take ice-cold showers, and have their heads shaved to get rid of any lice. The inmates also have numbers tattooed on their arms. Hannah receives J197241. The "J" stands for Jew. "1" is because she feels that she is all alone. "9" is pronounced nine in english, which is like the German word for "no", as in "No, I will not die here." "7" is for each and every day of the week that she stays alive. "2" is for Gitl and Shmuel, who are there too. "4" is for the four members of her family, before she it transported back in time. And finally, "1" again--because no she is all alone in this time and place.

Life is difficult at the concentratin camps. Everyone is given jobs. They have a choice: either they can do their jobs well and survive as best they can, or be chosen for execution by the commandant of the camp. Children under 14 are not supposed to be in the camp, so they hide in "the midden", a pile of waste located behind the barracks, to avoid being chosen. Hannah follows Rivka, who lives every day as it is, and together they survive for some time.

At one point Hannah, Gitl, and several others, including Shmuel and Yitzchak, try to escape. Gitl and Hannah hear gunshots and run back to their barracks. Shmuel and several others are caught by guards. Just as Shmuel is about to be executed, Fayge leaps forward. She loves Shmuel so much that she would rather die than live without him. Hannah first sees Wolfe, a Muselmann (someone who has given up the will to live) and Kommando (a Jew who carries bodies to the crematoria), as he tenderly carries Fayge's body away.

Several days later, Rivka, Shifre, and Esther are chosen to make up a full tally of prisoners for execution. Hannah decides to sacrifice herself by trading places with Rivka, since she knows that she will live again in the future, while Rivka has only this life. As Hannah walks into the crematorium, she remembers everything about her past life, which she had forgotten in the camps, and then finds that she is actually walking back through the door of the apartment in New York. She has returned to her own time. She discovers later that her Aunt Eva "was" Rivka and her Grandpa Will was Wolfe, but they had changed their names when they came to America after the war ended. Hannah learns that Gitl survived, but never married Yitzchak, as was planned when she lived in the village. Aunt Eva spends time with Hannah and talks about the horror that the Nazis caused. They also talk about Aunt Eva's tattooed prison number, J18202. Hannah explains to Aunt Eva that in her number, though Aunt Eva had nver explained it to Hannah, the "J" stands for Jew, the "1" because she, too, believed herself to be all alone, the "8" because there were eight people in her family before, now there are only "2" -- Rivka herself and Wolfe, her brother, who believed himself to be a "zero" -- and, finally, "2" because she knows that they will be reunited one day, God will allow it. Hannah learns the significance of Jewish holidays and traditions, along with the meaning of heroism.

TV or theatrical adaptations

The Devil's Arithmetic was made into a TV movie starring Kirsten Dunst and Brittany Murphy in 1999 .

Footnotes

There were many differences between the book and the movie.

See also

• List of Holocaust films