Monday, May 10, 2010

The Long Walk to Dachau

In the chapter "The Long Walk to Dachau", Liesel an awakening to the harsh prejudices of Nazi Germany in the early 40's. Liesel has been growing up in a land of prejudice, and although she has had constant reminders of the inferiority of the Jews, until now has she never witnessed their fate. This parade makes Liesel realize the true horrors of the Holocaust.
Soon after Liesel arrives on Himmel Street, she visits "Schiller Strasse". Liesel sees the vacant, vandalized Jewish homes and businesses. The Jews have already been forced to move out of Molching, presumably to a ghetto. With the Jews alienated from Liesel's community, she does not know that they are simply normal people and follows the beliefs that she learns in the BDM. Liesel is puzzled by the look on her foster-father's face when the two of them pass by Dachau on their way to their learning place. Yet, Liesel simply assimilates into the way of life in Germany and worries about other things, like dealing with her nightmares and going to school. Even with reminders of the Holocaust all around her, such as the proximity of Dachau concentration camp, Liesel still does not realize the scope of what is happening.

The arrival of Max Vandenburg changes the entire course of the plot, and Liesel learns that the prejudice against Jews is so severe that a Max Vandenburg's last hope for life is hiding in the basement of his father's best friend. Hans's debt to his friend forces his whole family to risk their lives to protect Max, and Liesel begins to see the horrors that are being committed against the Jews.

Finally, Liesel witnesses how the soldiers deliberately remove the Jews from the trucks and humiliate them by parading them through the streets of Molching. She sees how hey soldiers whip and beat them, and even witnesses her father giving a Jew a piece of bread. She knows the Jews have been persecuted, but never did she know their true fate. With her bond to Max growing ever so close, this parade shows her that it could be Max marching slowly to his death, as Death describes the parade as one of "colors". Liesel knows that Max is just an ordinary, friendly person, and this parade gives her insight into the true horrors of the Holocaust even as she grows up a Nazi.

1 comment:

  1. adding to your point, i would also like to add that the more she encounters the prejudice, the less innocent she becomes. When Liesil only sees the abandoned shops and the concentration camp, she doesn't realize what that actually meant, and you can notice that with the way she looked at the world in that section of the novel. After Max came and after the death parade, Liesil finally understands what everything means, and how people can do such horrible things to other people for no apprent reason at all.

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