The Devil's Arithmetic
Language Arts Book Talk Project #4
Characters
Hannah/Chaya - Hannah is the main character. She was put back in time in the place of Chaya, who was a woman who died in a concentration camp and who Hanah was named after.
Aaron - He is Hannah's little brother. He whines a lot and had to do some of the rituals at the Seder dinner their family had.
Aunt Eva - She is Hannah's Aunt. She was the one who knew Chaya from long ago.
Shmuel - In the 1940's, he was to get married, and he was very nervous despite his naturally confident personality.
Gitl - In the 1940's, she was a strong woman who took care of Chaya.
Chaya
This is from after she was sent to a concentration camp during the 1940's.
Hannah
This is from before she was sent back in time to become known as Chaya.
Shmuel
Conflict
Hannah was sent back in time to the holocaust in the place of Chaya, who was someone who died in the holocaust. She was forced to adjust to this new (old) time period and face the terror of the concentration camps.
The conflict was both internal and external. It was internal because Hannah was forced to adjust to her new surroundings. It was external because she had to survive in a concentration camp.
Plot
Hannah and her little brother had to go to a Seder Dinner with some of their family. Neither of them wanted to go. At the dinner, Hannah had to do the ritual where a door had to be left open for an imaginary person. While she opened the door, she was sent back in time to experience the early 1940's and suffer in a concentration camp.
Setting
1. For the beginning of the book, the setting was the home of a family member of Hannah during the present day.
2. For a majority of the book, the setting was a concentration camp during World War 2.
Theme
Never forget the horrors of the holocaust.
Setting the Majority of the Book
Setting at the Beginning
The Gate to the Concentration Camp
Videos:
The Devil's Arithmetic part2
The Devil's Arithmetic part3
Twin Holocaust survivors describe arriving at Auschwitz