When
I first picked up this memoir seeing as it was about World War II I figured
that it would be interesting, yet also have a sad plot line. I figured this
graphic novel would be depressing as it talked about the sad events that occurred
throughout Miriams life. The title of this
memoir is significant in simply capturing a very strong theme in this story.
The phrase “we are on our own” is said at the end of the book when Karoly
returns back home to Esther. He says “the same way you have arrived here. On
your own. We are on our own.” (page 118). This title is very significant
because the story is about Esther and her daughter Lisa making a new life for
themselves entirely on their own. Going from one stranger’s home to the next, she
did everything in her power to protect her daughter. The title is successful in
representing the themes of the story, and gives you insight to what the book is
going to be about before reading it. From being on their own, we see the two
main characters in the story, Esther and Lisa, develop strength and courage as
they try to escape the Nazis, while battling through poor shelter, food, and
living conditions.
Hi Jessica,
ReplyDelete"We Are On Our Own" should be the title of the events of World War II (WWII). If you were a solider gone away to war, a mother sending her son or husband to war, a minority hiding from Nazi supremacy, a prisoner of war (POW) left to die, or eventually a country trying to take over the world, it all fits in the end. As much as it is about the journey of a mother and daughter that are left on their own to struggle to survive, it is also about the families father. How bad would he have felt if he had first heard of his families "fake death" upon returning to his house? Tragic. On top of that I feel like this is also how WWII started. The Ottoman Empire had completely been ostracized from the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler felt that Germany was left on their own to be shamed and held responsible for WWI. In truth, he decided that Germany, on their own, would overtake the world. So really I believe it to be the central theme of the war, and not singularly the book.
Below is a link that talks about another domain of how peopler were along during WWII. How resources were scares and people had to fend for themselves.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0289.1988.tb00461.x
Hey Lex,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with you. As much as this title applies to the book - every single character in the book is fending for themselves, its an era of "dog-eat-dog" world. You keep your head up, find food for yourself, shelter for yourself - help people when you have the resources, but people are ruthless, selfish, and quite frankly have to put their own health first - which is why Miriam and her daughter keep getting booted to the street, and she sleeps with the officer for her on protection. Morals and values are being bent because their "on their own". Also, I think because of the spiritual components of this book, people of that time, including Miriam, felt that God was not there for them. It was a God forsaken world, and they were on their own as mortals.
Finally, like you said Lex, there is a huge cultural/political aspect. Yes, Germany was on their own! The Jews were on their own, fending for themselves! Its heart breaking to acknowledge and seek deeper meaning of this memoir and so many other memoirs written during this time.
Heres a journal article, about all the lack of help that actually took place for the Jewish community!
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005182