The Hitler Conundrum

Hmmmm... A jewish woman at the start of the 20th century.... a man named Adolf.... let me guess, a comedy?

Well, the book certainly wants you to believe that Blanca's dead husband was the man himself. Everything points to it, he's christian, he's Austrian, he was born around the same time, his name is Adolf, and (and this is the big one) he wants to "eliminate" the Jews. It would have been exciting if the book had gone all 'Inglorious Basterds' and actually had Blanca kill Hitler. It's only after his death that you finally get his last name casually revealed via a wanted poster.

It makes you wonder why a woman who spent the majority of the film depicted as frail and passive suddenly becomes an axe murderer/church arsonist.

I noticed that this book won the National Jewish Book Award. It places judaism in positive light in that once Blanca leads the bosom of her religion she becomes lost, disenfranchised, and clearly weakened. This kind of assimilation could be applied to the debate concerning the native population of Canada.

It's a very sad book (of course), and I'd likened it to Schindler's List in that the dire subject matter means I don't want to read it again any time soon. There are no happy points (besides the central mother-son relationship) to cling on to, and there are many premonitions of the Holocaust. Appelfeld's shows that it's these kinds of relationships and attitudes that planted the seeds for the Holocaust, and if this is how bad it was for just one woman, it's near-impossible to comprehend the bigger picture.

Tom.

The Republic, Book X - tl;dr

         "And that," I concluded, "Is why justice is preferable to injustice."
         "Wow, Socrates," spoke Glaucon, "You're so smart, I just want to lick your face."
         Adeimantus nodded in approval, "I wish I could have but a fraction of your intellect! But Socrates, perhaps we should now break to get some food or sleep. Myself and Glaucon have been blindly agreeing to everything you've said for at least sixteen hours now."
         "But my dear Adeimantus!" I replied, "We're so close! I just have to slag off the painters and poets, dubiously try to show how the soul is immortal, and tell you a story that once again says how philosophers, myself included, are just better than everyone else, including both of you.
         "I can't wait to hear it!" Fervently agreed Glaucon.
         "Well, it is common knowledge, of course, that poets are lying jerks that are wholly responsible for everything bad I've mentioned thus far, and when I make my city I'll kick them all out, and..... Adeimantus, why are you crying?"
         Glaucon spoke up, "Didn't you know, Socrates? Adeimantus has been fond of dabbling in poetry in his spare time."
         "I'm such a failure!" Wept Adeimantus.
          As I gazed upon my sobbing friend,  I became overwhelmed with guilt."Oh my, Adeimantus, I'm so sorry. I was only pulling your leg, that's all. Didn't you know I was joking? To think, me, Socrates, condoning eugenics and infanticide! Ha-ha! Haven't we all had a good, humorous time guys? Guys?" Once again I looked at my two companions, to find they had both collapsed from exhaustion.

The End