The Devil’s Arithmetic is a young adult novel about the Holocaust. At the beginning of the story, a Jewish girl name Hannah is celebrating the Seder meal at Passover with her family. She seems to complain about many of the Jewish customs. When she is asked to open the door for Elijah to come in (a common tradition during Passover), Hannah is transported into the time of the Holocaust. She becomes a character called “Chaya,”...
The Devil’s Arithmetic is a young adult novel about the Holocaust. At the beginning of the story, a Jewish girl name Hannah is celebrating the Seder meal at Passover with her family. She seems to complain about many of the Jewish customs. When she is asked to open the door for Elijah to come in (a common tradition during Passover), Hannah is transported into the time of the Holocaust. She becomes a character called “Chaya,” and witnesses many of the horrors associated with the Nazi concentration camps. She is forced onto a train, herded into the camp, has her head shaved, is tattooed with a number, made to do hard work against her will, and watches as many people die in the gas chambers. In this context, Hannah becomes friends with a girl named Rivka. When Rivka is sent to the gas chamber, Hannah tells Rivka to run. Hannah then takes Rivka’s place and walks back into the gas chamber to die. It is at this point that Hannah is transported back to the present time with a new respect for her Jewish heritage.
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