The Devils Arithmetic Reflection PDF

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1 LAE 4314

Synopsis In The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, Hannah Stern is a twelve year old girl who attends a Seder celebration at her Grandfather Will’s house. Hannah is not having a good time, there are no kids her age to play with and she is bored. Hannah gets magically transported to the past. In the past she is no longer Hannah Stern. She is Chaya. Chaya is attending a wedding when she and her new friends are taken by Nazis. The Nazis put them in boxcars and drive them to a concentration camp. At the camp she meets a girl named Rivka. Rivka shows her the ways of the camp and teaches her how to survive. Rivka also tells her what the numbers on her arm mean to her. Chaya is forced to work long days and eat watery potato soup. One day Chaya, Rivka and a few of her friends were caught talking. A new guard told them he only needed 3 more people to make a full load for this choosing. Rivka and two other friends were chosen. Chaya wore Rivka’s headscarf and took her place, saving her life. As Chaya walks through the door to the gas chamber she walks into her Grandpa Will’s house and is back at the party. The adults all toast to the Prophet Elijah and Hannah sees her Aunt Eva’s arm with the numbers. The same numbers as Rivka. Aunt Eva asked if she wanted her to explain the numbers and Hannah responded no I’ll explain them. She continued to explain the numbers to Aunt Eva. Aunt Eva said that her name was Rivka back then and Hannah replied, “I remember, oh I remember”.

Description of Genre

2 The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen is a historical fiction novel, specifically a forced journey of transformation novel. Hannah Stern is transported to WWII where she is placed in a new home, social setting, and country. Hannah is speaking Yiddish which she did not know prior to being transported. She is enslaved in a concentration camp and forced to work. During her time, she undergoes a transformation and becomes a better person. She returns to her family in the present as the better person. It is also a multicultural book, specifically a religious culture literature book. Hannah is learning new things about her religion and the reader also is exposed to her religion.

Personal Response One main thing that I really liked about this book was the ending. I had no idea that Rivka was going to be Hannah’s Aunt Eva. I was so shocked. I got chills reading that part. Hannah risked her own life for Rivka’s. That truly showed how caring and thoughtful Hannah was. We had seen Hannah save lives of children by helping them to the midden but she sacrificed her own life for Rivka’s. This really shows Hannah’s character transformation throughout the book as well. Hannah’s character changed throughout the novel. At the beginning of the book she was a kind young girl, but she didn’t like the way her Grandfather Will acted. She didn’t like the way he yelled at the television, when it showed the concentration camps. She also didn’t understand why he got so mad when she wrote numbers on her arm like his. She never understood the horrific events he and Aunt Eva had to face, until she faced them herself. Once she came back from living as Chaya she understood all the pain and suffering her family went through. I think

3 this is a very important lesson for people to learn. I love that this book really shines a light on the saying “don’t judge person, until you walk a mile in their shoes”. One last thing that I really enjoyed about this book is the ties it has to history. I really love learning about WWII and this was an awesome read!

Classroom Application One way I would use The Devil’s Arithmetic in the classroom is by doing literature circles. Literature circles are great for getting students involved with the reading and into deep conversations about the book. The next activity I would use is to have students write their own numbers and give each number/letter a meaning just like Rivka and Chaya did. Lastly I would have students draw a character chart. At the end of each chapter the students will draw a picture of the characters they met in the chapter on a sheet of paper. The paper will start with Hannah and her family. The students will draw the characters large or small based on the role they played in the chapter.

4 References Short, K., Lynch-Brown, C. and Tomlinson, C. (2018). Essentials of children's literature. 9th ed. New York: Pearson. Yolen, J. (1990). The Devil's Arithmetic. New York: Puffin Books....