The antagonist is this far in the book the french police. There isn't one person you can blame yet, but a whole group. The french police is the enemy and the evil ones. I'm not sure though, if the french men know that. They have no knowledge about whats going on, so they don't really know that their own police is the ones to blame for all these horrible things. I base this on the fact that the german police didn't tell the french police to do all of the dreadful stuff they are doing. The french police got an order, but did much more then to just obey... They went further.
It would feel very wrong to say that I can relate to Sarahs problems, because I can't. I haven't even been close to having it as bad as she has it. And I don't think that I or the rest of us that wasn't in the war will ever understand what they went through. When you are reading the part that is written in current time, I find that Julias husbands grandma reminds me of my own grandma. But I'm sorry to say that the similarities with people I know and the ones in the book ends right there.
If you try to think about how the Jews had it there at the camp, you can also try to imagine yourself there... And then try imagine how you would have reacted, what you would have done. It's hard. But when you've done that you'll see that Sarah and the other Jews you read about, that their actions is plausible.
I think that the choices you make in a matter of life and death are not to reflect what kind of person you are. It's a human instinct to do everything you can to survive. It would be weird if you didn't. So let's say Sarah makes a choise to do something she knows is wrong and maybe cruel but she has to do it to survive. And everybody else is dong what they can to survive. Then I would have sympathy for her actions and I would probably have done the same thing...
//Emma :)
Two scenes from the movie
I agree with you that we live too humdrum life in order to compare ourselves with the Jews. You put a good perspective on the book and I think you lift up the French police in a fair manner. In a general assessment a very good text with the supposed material!
ReplyDelete//Öljemark
It sounds like a very affecting book with a new perspective on the world war. It sounds like you thought a lot about the book. I agree with you, it´s hard to relate to what she is going through since her situation is so awful! Somehow your book reminds me of the book I´m reading “A long way gone”, the main character is also caught in a war which is bound to change his life.
ReplyDelete/Therese
I too agree. It is difficult to relate to characters in situations so very far from one's own. And still we can identify ourselves with them. What do you think makes it possible?
ReplyDelete