Books like Boy In Striped Pajamas by John Boyne and Rose Blanche by Robert Innocenti and Ian McKewan are set in the Holocaust, one of the darkest times in history. They both have child protagonists, each still innocent and tender in the midst of the nightmare spreading across
Unfortunately, these boundaries will never completely disappear, because it is a human habit to put people into little boxes with labels and preconceive ideas about them. However, we COULD erase those boundaries until they are barely visible, not a barrier but rather a passageway. That was only one of the lessons the Holocaust taught people in that era, but now we are forgetting it. We learn our mistakes from the past, from what happened to others and how they reacted. We could learn something from Bruno, whose inquisitive nature brought him closer to the truth than anyone not involved in the operation could. He wanted to know what was happening, even though he sometimes dreaded the possible truth.
We could also learn something from all the resistance groups that sprouted up, although we could only dream of the courage they found to fight against the oppressive cloud of Nazi forces. For example, the White Rose Movement was formed by a group of young students studying in the
Another brave stand against the mass Jew killing was the joint effort of the villagers of Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon. 5000 Protestant Christians sheltered and provided food, work, education, and most importantly a refuge with a sense of peace and affection. Their leader was André Trocmé, the spiritual leader of the congregation. He and his wife, Magda Trocmé, urge their villagers to help these ‘people of the Bible’. André’s wife Magda played an important role in many Jews’ escape to neutral
These lesson of human rights and courage and will are timeless; we should never be without them, no matter what time period. These traits are what makes a loving, peaceful community that is the dream of every human being in the world. We should be reminded of these traits and what the lack of them could mean for humanity. Hopefully, most of us will learn something through study of the Holocaust and refrain from ‘repeating history’ in the here and now.