If you are interested in fictional fantasies about the Holocaust, I would consider reading The Devil’s Arithmetic, a thrilling book written by Jane Yolen. Hannah, a non-enthusiastic twelve year-old girl from New Rochelle, New York, dislikes going to Seder every year at her grandparent’s house and remembering about their past life in the concentration camps during World War II. However, this year will be different; Hannah will have an unexpected trip, transportation back in time to World War II. If you’re a person who prefers live scenes, then you should think about watching the movie, in addition to the book. Although I am giving a few of the similarities and differences, there are also several other others between the two.
As mentioned, there are similarities between both stories. One similarity is that Hannah is able to participate in the wine drinking at the Seder, and is also given the opportunity to open the door for Elijah, the prophet. Later, while in the concentration camp Hannah shares and explains fictional from the present. The stories Hannah tells them gives them hope that they might stay alive in the death camps. In the concentration camps, Hannah also meets a girl named Rivka whose place she takes when a Nazi guard “chose” for her to die. Hannah took Rivka’s place by taking her head-scarf and placing it on her own head. As a result, Hannah was taken to the gas chambers.
As previously stated, there are several differences, too. For instance, Hannah is a twelve year-old girl in the book, and has an anxious brother named Aaron. However, in the movie Hannah is a seventeen year-old teenager, and is an only child. Perhaps the greatest difference is that in the book Rivka is a friend Hannah meets in the concentration camp. Whereas in the movie Rivka is Hannah’s cousin that she meets when she is transported back in time to her “house.” After Hannah is transported into the past, she is taken to a wedding. Lastly, the wedding is interrupted by Nazis; from...