The books, The Boy Who Dared, and Marika are similar in several ways. These stories are both told using flashback and are conveyed through the eyes and minds of young people growing up in the fearful time when Hitler comes to power. The main characters, Helmuth and Marika are both struggling with grown up problems at a young age. Dealing with these adult issues makes them seem older than they really are. Instead of spending time playing sports, or hanging out, doing fun things with friends, Helmuth and Marika spend their time listening to the adults in their households talk about Hitler and learning the effects Hitler’s SS have on the Jews.
Marika and Helmuth also grew up in awkward circumstances at home. Helmuth is missing his real father and loves his mother very much. She goes on to marry a high ranking official in the Nazi party who Helmuth despises. He lacks an adult in his life that he can trust to share his thoughts and questions with. Marika grows up similarly. She is not at all close with her mother, but feels very close to her father. She feels cut off from him because of the wall between them and seems to rely on her doll, Maxi to confide in. Having no reliable adult to share their deepest concerns with causes them to act on their own when they probably shouldn’t.
A common character quality they each have is their stubborn adventurousness. Throughout the story, Helmuth spends his younger years wishing he could participate in the activities his older brothers are involved in. He feels angry and left out because he can’t do things his older brothers do. When he gets slightly older, and has a better understanding about the power of the Nazis, and their extreme ways, he decides to ignore the law and do what he thinks it right. He feels a strong need to deliver the truth, even sacrificing his own life for it. From the beginning of the story of Marika, the author shows her to be stubborn, and wanting to do things her own way. From not wanting to learn French, not wearing certain clothes that make her stand out, to deciding not to not tell her best friend she is a Jew, she goes to great lengths, including getting herself sick, to make sure she gets her way. The behaviors of these two characters demonstrate that they are both fearless, heroic, and willing to sacrifice themselves for something they think is greater.
Marika and Helmuth also share the factor that they both grow up in religious households and neither can understand why Hitler hates Jews and attacks them as he does. The two characters having different faiths doesn’t seem to matter, it is their immaturity and lack of life’s experiences that doesn’t allow them to predict the horrible impact their actions might have. In the eyes of other characters in their stories, and to the reader, they come off as impulsive. They both think they are smarter than the adults around them. It would seem impossible that Helmuth could change what Hitler was doing by passing out flyers. It would seem equally impossible for Marika to get away with helping her family forge documents to evade the Nazi discrimination.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Marika
The book, Marika, by Andrea Cheng, opens with the main character, Marika, or Maria as her father called her, forging documents with her father, Apa, and Uncle Lipot,. The story is set in Hungary, in December, 1939, when Marika was twelve years old. The reader learns that the family is Jewish, although they celebrated Catholic traditions. The author made it clear that the forged documents would be very important to the family’s future safety.
The author implies that the reason Marika forged the documents had to do with their last name being Jewish. Marika was not exactly sure why she was being asked to forge the family documents, and she knew it is wrong, but did it for her beloved uncle and father, because she had the nicest handwriting. While she worked on the papers, Marika thought to herself, “It was bad luck that we were Schnurmacher so everyone knew we were Jewish…What difference would it make to anyone? When I grew up, I would change my name, and Jew would be gone forever. No need to forge anything.” (pg.3) When Marika finished erasing any trace of the word Jew from each birth certificate her father felt relieved.
The story then flashes back to 1934, when Marika was six years old. The reader learns that Marika’s family was probably wealthier than others. They have a summer home, and they also have a nanny and a cook. When Marika returned from her summer home to their duplex, she found it had been turned into two separate homes; one for her father, and one for the rest of the family. The author gives no explanation as to why this happened. Marika was very disappointed because she felt close to her father and does not see him as much as she would like. She does not seem close to her mother, Anya. Anya seemed to be most interested in shopping, playing the piano, even though she is mostly deaf, and her appearance. The reader learns she has make up, hair, and clothes that don’t look like anyone else’s mom.
The author also introduces the reader to Andras, Marika’s older brother, and Maxi, who is a doll her Uncle Lipot gave her. She thinks of Maxi as her best friend. Her uncle was worried when she gave her doll a Jewish name. He commented, “ …you might be wise to pick something more Hungarian.”(pg. 10) Marika told Maxi a horrible story about two Jewish boys who got their eyes poked out by chickens, but reassured Maxi nothing like that would happen to him.
Another indication that this family may have been wealthier than other families was that they insisted on the best schooling for their children. In particular, they wanted Marika to be able to speak many languages, including French. Marika resisted her new French nanny, Collette, when she first arrived, as she goes onto resist other changes or things that make her stand out to others.
At this part of the book, it is 1935, and this part of the story ends with Collette being sent away, and Anya taking on more of a mothering role with Marika, something that neither one of them seem to be happy about.
The author implies that the reason Marika forged the documents had to do with their last name being Jewish. Marika was not exactly sure why she was being asked to forge the family documents, and she knew it is wrong, but did it for her beloved uncle and father, because she had the nicest handwriting. While she worked on the papers, Marika thought to herself, “It was bad luck that we were Schnurmacher so everyone knew we were Jewish…What difference would it make to anyone? When I grew up, I would change my name, and Jew would be gone forever. No need to forge anything.” (pg.3) When Marika finished erasing any trace of the word Jew from each birth certificate her father felt relieved.
The story then flashes back to 1934, when Marika was six years old. The reader learns that Marika’s family was probably wealthier than others. They have a summer home, and they also have a nanny and a cook. When Marika returned from her summer home to their duplex, she found it had been turned into two separate homes; one for her father, and one for the rest of the family. The author gives no explanation as to why this happened. Marika was very disappointed because she felt close to her father and does not see him as much as she would like. She does not seem close to her mother, Anya. Anya seemed to be most interested in shopping, playing the piano, even though she is mostly deaf, and her appearance. The reader learns she has make up, hair, and clothes that don’t look like anyone else’s mom.
The author also introduces the reader to Andras, Marika’s older brother, and Maxi, who is a doll her Uncle Lipot gave her. She thinks of Maxi as her best friend. Her uncle was worried when she gave her doll a Jewish name. He commented, “ …you might be wise to pick something more Hungarian.”(pg. 10) Marika told Maxi a horrible story about two Jewish boys who got their eyes poked out by chickens, but reassured Maxi nothing like that would happen to him.
Another indication that this family may have been wealthier than other families was that they insisted on the best schooling for their children. In particular, they wanted Marika to be able to speak many languages, including French. Marika resisted her new French nanny, Collette, when she first arrived, as she goes onto resist other changes or things that make her stand out to others.
At this part of the book, it is 1935, and this part of the story ends with Collette being sent away, and Anya taking on more of a mothering role with Marika, something that neither one of them seem to be happy about.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
What did The Boy Who Dared Dare to Do? #2
The author makes it clear, through the title of the book, and the opening scene in the prison cell, that Helmuth stood up for something he believed in, and was punished for it, but leaves the reader asking, what could he have done that was so awful that he was sent to prison?
In the early portion of the book, Bartoletti leads the reader to assume that Helmuth was excited to be a part of the Nazi movement. The first proof of this was when the announcement came in school that “Adolf Hitler had been sworn in as the new chancellor of the Reich...Music swelled and something inside Helmuth swells too.” (12) Later when he is given a leaflet by a German storm trooper, and the soldier says to Helmuth, “Germany needs soldiers like you to fight for the Fatherland,” he feels proud and “Electric with excitement, knowing someday he will fight for the Fatherland.” (16)
Bartoletti also left cracks in the story for the reader to wonder why Helmuth felt so strongly about supporting Hitler. The cracks indicate to the reader there might be room for Helmuth to change his way of thinking. Even though Helmuth was raised understanding both his mother’s point of view, which was to support Hitler, and his grandparents and others fears of Hitler, the reader can’t yet answer why he chose his mother’s view. The feeling that opposing Hitler may have been the right decision was inferred later, when Opa’s Mormon friend, Heinrich Worbs, visited after the Reichstag was burned. Worbs was overcome with worry about what he read in the newspaper. “This new decree takes away our freedoms. Freedom of speech, gone! Freedom of the press, gone! Right to privacy, gone!”(25) When Helmuth told Worbs, “Hitler wants to protect us.” Worbs replies, “It’s not the Communists we must fear, now we must fear what we say in our own homes, what we say over the telephone, what we write.” (26) The reader can still question why Helmuth would support Hitler?
The story began to shift when the SS troops postered the store windows owned by Jews with banners reading, “Germans, do not buy from Jews! World Jewry is out to destroy us!”(31) Helmuth was sickened when he was kept from entering his friend, Herr Kaltenbach’s bakery by a storm trooper, simply because the baker was a Jew. The author was suggesting to the reader that this may be a turning point for Helmuth’s opinion of the Nazi regime.
In the early portion of the book, Bartoletti leads the reader to assume that Helmuth was excited to be a part of the Nazi movement. The first proof of this was when the announcement came in school that “Adolf Hitler had been sworn in as the new chancellor of the Reich...Music swelled and something inside Helmuth swells too.” (12) Later when he is given a leaflet by a German storm trooper, and the soldier says to Helmuth, “Germany needs soldiers like you to fight for the Fatherland,” he feels proud and “Electric with excitement, knowing someday he will fight for the Fatherland.” (16)
Bartoletti also left cracks in the story for the reader to wonder why Helmuth felt so strongly about supporting Hitler. The cracks indicate to the reader there might be room for Helmuth to change his way of thinking. Even though Helmuth was raised understanding both his mother’s point of view, which was to support Hitler, and his grandparents and others fears of Hitler, the reader can’t yet answer why he chose his mother’s view. The feeling that opposing Hitler may have been the right decision was inferred later, when Opa’s Mormon friend, Heinrich Worbs, visited after the Reichstag was burned. Worbs was overcome with worry about what he read in the newspaper. “This new decree takes away our freedoms. Freedom of speech, gone! Freedom of the press, gone! Right to privacy, gone!”(25) When Helmuth told Worbs, “Hitler wants to protect us.” Worbs replies, “It’s not the Communists we must fear, now we must fear what we say in our own homes, what we say over the telephone, what we write.” (26) The reader can still question why Helmuth would support Hitler?
The story began to shift when the SS troops postered the store windows owned by Jews with banners reading, “Germans, do not buy from Jews! World Jewry is out to destroy us!”(31) Helmuth was sickened when he was kept from entering his friend, Herr Kaltenbach’s bakery by a storm trooper, simply because the baker was a Jew. The author was suggesting to the reader that this may be a turning point for Helmuth’s opinion of the Nazi regime.
What did The Boy Who Dared Dare to Do?
Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s book, The Boy Who Dared, opens with an obvious problem. The main character, seventeen year old, Helmuth Huebner, is awaiting his execution in a prison cell in Berlin, Germany, in 1942. Helmuth spends time in his prison cell reflecting on his childhood in Hamburg, Germany. It is through his flashback memories that the reader will learn the events that led to his imprisonment.
The first flashback Helmuth had was when he was three. He was walking with his mother, Mutti, and his half-brothers, Hans and Gerhard near where they live. They came across a German soldier who asked him if he wanted to be a soldier for the Fatherland. When Helmuth responded “Yes!” the reader gets the first sense that this may have been part of the reason he winds up in prison later. Helmuth was raised in the Mormon religion by his single mother, and lives next door to his grandparents, Oma and Opa, who also help care for him.
Hitler began his rise to power when Helmuth was a young boy. He listened to his mother who was in favor of Hitler’s rise, because she thought he would bring prosperity and relieve the depression Germany was in after the Great War. He also listened to his Grandfather, Opa, who was against Hitler because he was fearful of the “lunatic” that would bring war to their country. Helmuth was confused by his grandfather’s reasoning and wondered why Opa wasn’t in favor of someone who wanted to help Germany.
A later reflection Helmuth had was when he was in the fifth grade, and news broke that Hitler had been sworn in as the leader of the Reich. Helmuth recalled felling very patriotic toward helping his country and wanted to be a part of the parade to honor Hitler. His mother celebrated Hitler’s victory by cooking a special meal, but would not let Helmut go to the parade with his older brothers because she felt he was too young. Helmut laid in bed alone that night listening to the radio, “imagining the streets booming with Nazi storm troopers, hundreds of them…”(20) wishing he could have been a part of it.
The first flashback Helmuth had was when he was three. He was walking with his mother, Mutti, and his half-brothers, Hans and Gerhard near where they live. They came across a German soldier who asked him if he wanted to be a soldier for the Fatherland. When Helmuth responded “Yes!” the reader gets the first sense that this may have been part of the reason he winds up in prison later. Helmuth was raised in the Mormon religion by his single mother, and lives next door to his grandparents, Oma and Opa, who also help care for him.
Hitler began his rise to power when Helmuth was a young boy. He listened to his mother who was in favor of Hitler’s rise, because she thought he would bring prosperity and relieve the depression Germany was in after the Great War. He also listened to his Grandfather, Opa, who was against Hitler because he was fearful of the “lunatic” that would bring war to their country. Helmuth was confused by his grandfather’s reasoning and wondered why Opa wasn’t in favor of someone who wanted to help Germany.
A later reflection Helmuth had was when he was in the fifth grade, and news broke that Hitler had been sworn in as the leader of the Reich. Helmuth recalled felling very patriotic toward helping his country and wanted to be a part of the parade to honor Hitler. His mother celebrated Hitler’s victory by cooking a special meal, but would not let Helmut go to the parade with his older brothers because she felt he was too young. Helmut laid in bed alone that night listening to the radio, “imagining the streets booming with Nazi storm troopers, hundreds of them…”(20) wishing he could have been a part of it.
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