Author's Note: Parts One & Two, Max's & Rachel's, respectively, each contain 10 chapters with 10 scenes each. I was attempting to imitate the arbitrary, rigid, "rules" of the Nazi Con- centration Camps in the construction of the novel.
Quotes from novel in Discussion Questions include Part, Chapter, & Scene references (for the e-book or non-American English versions), as well as page number references (identical in 1st & 2nd Editions, American English versions only), noted in the following manner [Part:Chapter:Scene:Pages], e.g., [1:3:10:42-43 = Part 1:Chapter 3: Scene 10: pages 42-43].
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The Characters & their Relationships
- Rachel frequently denies having been in any of the concentration camps, even to her husband David (Part Two, Chapter 1, Scene Two, p. 131 [2:1:2:131]; Part Two, Chapter 2, Scene Eight, p. 153 [2:2:8:153]; Part Two, Chapter 7, Scene Four, p. 209 [2:7:4:209]), who tells her, "You dream the camp. You talk the camp. You eat, sleep, breathe the camp" (2:7:4:210). Why does Rachel deny being in one of the camps? Does she feel guilty? Ashamed? What does her husband mean when he says that she eats, sleeps, breathes the camp? Max also denies having been in the camps ( Part One, Chapter 1, Scene Ten, p. 12 1:1:10:12]; Part One, Chapter Three, Scene Eight, pp. 37-38 [1:3:8:37-38]; Part One, Chapter Eight, Scene Ten, pp. 96-97 [1:8:10:96-97]; Part One, Chapter Nine, Scene Eight, pp. 109-110 [1:9:8:109-110]). Is there any significance to the fact that both Max and Rachel deny having been there?
- Though Max and Rachel share the same experience in the concentration camp, their stories of what happened differ significantly. Are Max and Rachel reliable narrators, that is, can you trust that what they tell you is the truth? Which of the two is more reliable, Max or Rachel? Why? Which of the stories is more plausible, Max's or Rachel's? Why? Why is it that we get different versions of the same story when different people are telling it?
- What are Max's feelings for Rachel? Does Max love Rachel? What is Max's definition of "love"? Why does Marta think Max loves Rachel? What are Rachel's feelings for Max? What do the members of the Underground think Rachel feels for Max? Do Rachel's feelings for Max change after she is no longer in the concentration camp? Does Rachel love Max? Why does David think Rachel loves Max?
Epigraphs
- Epigraphs are designed to guide readers in an interpretation of the work. This novel has three epigraphs, one for each section. The epigraph for Max's section (Part One) is from the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament: "For who can make straight that which He hath made crooked?" (Ecclesiastes 7:13) How is this epigraph related to Max's part of the story? Does it change your interpretation of Max? The "He" in the epigraph is capitalized, which conventionally means that it is referring to God. What does that mean in relation to the novel? Does it change your view of Max? Was does it say about free will? About Max's behavior and the events that led to the Holocaust? Is there anyone else in the story to whom this epigraph could apply?
- The epigraph for Rachel's section of the novel (Part Two) is from American writer Gertrude Stein: "There is no left or right without remembering." What does this epigraph mean? What does this epigraph have to do with Rachel and her story? Is there anyone else in the story to whom this epigraph could apply?
- The epigraph for Part Three of the novel is from the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament: "The dead know nothing." (Ecclesiastes 9:5). What does this mean? Who in the novel is "dead?" In what ways are they "dead?" Can this epigraph apply to anyone besides the major protagonists? Why is it that the "dead" know nothing?
Max's Six-Pointed Star
- In his part of the novel, Max tells us that he cut a six-pointed star on his forearm and that when he showed it to Rachel, telling her, Jetzt bin ich ein Jude, she slapped him (1:5:2:57-58). Why has Max called the six-pointed star "her name" (1:5:2:57)? What was Max trying to do? Why does he speak to her in German? Does he really believe that this Star of David on his forearm will make the two of them closer? If so, how would it make them closer?
- In Rachel's version of this story, she claims that Max drew the six-pointed star on his forearm in black ink and that she cut this star with his service dagger (2:8:1:221-223). She also claims to have cut the capital letter K beside the star "so he would never be free: K for Kommandant" (2:8:1:222). We learn that when Max said, "Jetzt bin ich ein Jude," he was saying "Now I am a Jew." Rachel says, "Now you are a Jew," — in German — and slaps him (2:8:1:223). Why does Ra- chel cut the Star of David in his forearm? Why does she say, "Now you are a Jew" in German? Why does Rachel get sexually excited about cutting Max's arm? Is she interpreting the excitement she feels over having power over him as sexual excitement? Is this what Max does to her? Is this the closest Rachel ever gets to understanding Max and his behavior? If not, does she ever understand Max? If not in this scene, can you point out another in which you think Rachel understands Max better?
- Are Max and Rachel alike? In what ways? Why does Rachel feel shame when she's excited after cutting the star on his arm? Why does she run away from him back to the office? Why does she cry? Why does she say that was the only time she ever cried? Do you believe that that was the only time she ever cried, in other words, is she a reliable narrator? Why does she say "And even then, it didn't make any difference" (2:8:1:223)? What does she mean by that?
- There are three different endings to the novel, and all three of the endings are true at the same time. In Max's version (1:10:10:122-123), he claims that he found Rachel and went to her home, bringing her a copy of the poetry collection titled The Dead Bodies That Line the Street. He reads a poem called "In the Bedroom of the Kommandant," in which it is implied that the Kommandant has told the Jewish inmate that he loves her (1:1:7:9). When Marta confronts Max with the poetry book, she mentions the poem, saying, "You didn't tell her that you loved her, did you, Max?" and "Even you couldn't love a Jew, could you, Max?") Why does Max claim that he went to find Rachel? What is it that he wants her to understand? What is the symbolic meaning of the last sentence of Max's version: "The sun glowed on The Dead Bodies, lying there between us" (1:10:10:123)? Why are the dead bodies still between them and what is the significance of the sun's glowing on them?
- In Rachel's version of the story (2:10:10:253-255), she claims that she shot the Kommandant when he "brought The Dead Bodies" to her. The last sentence of her section is this: "In my hand, the white towel fluttered in the early morning breeze" (1:10:10:255). What is the symbolic significance of the difference between the last sentence in Max's version and the last sentence in Rachel's version? What is the symbolic significance of the white towel? If Max went to Rachel seeking forgiveness, why is it that his story ends with the dead bodies between them, while hers ends with the white towel? Has Rachel found peace? Has Rachel found forgiveness? If so, who has been forgiven: Rachel? Max? All the Nazis?
- In the third section of the novel, the ostensible biographical encyclopedia entries, it states that Max was "executed by hanging at the concentration camp where he had served" (Part Three, "Maximilian von Walther", last lines, p. 264) and that Rachel, who is called the Leah, "apparently did not survive the concentration camps" (Part Three, "Leah Sarah Abramson", last lines, p. 269). If all three of the endings in this novel are all true at the same time, then why are all the endings different?
- Did Max really go to find Rachel or didn't he? If Max didn't go to find Rachel and was, instead, captured, imprisoned, and executed, then why did he claim that he had found her? Does Max really believe that Rachel would have forgiven him had he found her?
- Did Rachel really shoot Max or did she only shoot him symbolically? Even if she shoots him only symbolically, why does she have to imagine such a violent ending to their relationship? Why did Rachel change her name from Leah (which means "weary") to Rachel (which means "lamb")? Does Rachel view herself as a sacrifice? If so, a sacrifice to whom or for what reason?
- What do the three different endings say about our understanding of history and history books?
The Theme of Parents & their Children
- The theme of parents and their children is an important one in the novel. Ilse and Hans, Max's children, are obviously affected by living in a house on the grounds of the concentration camp. Ilse complains about smelling the "Jew-gas" (1:1:5:5-6), she worries about taking a bath with "Jew-soap" (1:3:10:41-43), she plays "escaped Jews" with her dolls before she throws them into the fire, saying "Into the gas with you" (1:5:5:59-61), and she tells Hans, "See what you did, Hans? You bad boy. Daddy should send you to the gas" (1:5:9:66). Why doesn't Max notice how his children are being affected by the concentration camp? Why doesn't Marta notice? Is Max a good father? Does he think he's a good father? Does Marta think Max is a good father? Is Marta a good mother? Does she think she's a good mother?Does Max think Marta is a good mother?
- The children are also affected by Rachel's presence in their father's office. When the children are "playing Kommandant" alone in the office, Ilse chases Hans, saying "I'm the big, bad Jew who eats little boys"; she tells Hans that Rachel is "a Jew" and that "Jews are bad" but then asks Rachel if she wants to play with her and Hans (2:3:7:164-165). Ilse brushes Rachel's hair and tells her "Now, you look pretty" (2:6:5:199-200). Does Ilse's attitude toward Rachel change in the novel? If so, how does it change? If so, why does her attitude toward Rachel change? In the scene where Ilse is brushing Rachel's hair, why does Ilse run away when her father calls for her? Why does she want Rachel to play with them?
- Hans also is aware of Rachel and has several interactions with her. He crawls toward her and coos at her when she touches his cheek (2:5:7:188-189): Why does Rachel try to avoid Hans when he's crawling across the floor toward her? Why does Rachel touch his cheek? How does she feel when he coos at her?
- On the stairs between the house proper and Max's office, Hans stops crying when he's lost his bottle and Rachel holds him (2:6:2:195-196): Why does Rachel pick him up? Why does Marta shriek when she sees Rachel holding Hans? At one point in Max's office, Hans offers Rachel a bite of his gingerbread woman cookie, and then breaks off the head and gives it to her (2:8:3:224-226): How does Hans feel toward Rachel? What does he think of her? Does he understand that she's a Jew? If not, why not? What is the significance of Hans' offering Rachel a bite of this cookie? What is the significance of Hans' breaking apart his cookie and giving some of it to her when she doesn't take the bite he offers? What is the symbolic significance of Hans' breaking the cookie's head away from the body and giving Rachel the "head" of the cookie?
- David repeatedly asks Rachel to have a child with him but she tells him she can't (2:2:4:145-147). Instead of telling him about the pregnancy and abortion (2:6:8:201-203) in the camp, she claims to have gone to a doctor after the war (2:2:4:147). Why does Rachel tell David this story? Why doesn't she tell him about getting pregnant with Max's child? How does she feel about getting pregnant in the camp? How do the members of the Underground feel about her pregnancy? How does Rachel feel about the abortion?
- Why doesn't Rachel want to adopt a child when David asks her to do so (2:6:1:193-195)? How does she feel when David brings Althea home (2:10:4:249)? Why is it important to David that he and Rachel adopt a child whose parents were killed in the concentration camps? Why is Rachel afraid to touch Althea? Althea's name means "healing." What is the significance of her name? Will Althea help Rachel heal? If so, how? If not, why not? Will Althea help heal David's and Rachel's marriage? If so, how? If not, why not?
- The members of the Underground in the concentration camp seem to hate Rachel. They often claim that she has a soft and pampered life (2:1:8:137; 2:2:1:141; 2:2:10:154-155: 2:5:8:189-190). They also call her a whore (2:5:8:189; 2:6:8:201) and beat her when she doesn't do what they've asked her to do (2:7:1:206-207). Why do the members of the camp's Underground hate Rachel?
- Why won't Rachel do as they ask? Doesn't Rachel have loyalty to the other Jews? Shouldn't she use her position in the Kommandant's office to help other Jews in the camp? Are the members of the Underground justified in their feelings toward Rachel? Is Rachel being selfish? Is she being wise?
- For her part, Rachel believes that the members of the Underground don't understand her position. "They didn't even know what suffering was. What were a few bits of food, a threadbare blanket, a cold stone floor? They didn't even try to understand what it was like for me. They were always ordering me to help them, threatening me, telling me to risk myself to save a few Jews I didn't even know. I tried to help in little ways, but it didn't do any good. They couldn't have done anything either, if they'd been in my position. They didn't know what it was like for me, and they didn't even try to understand" (2:4:1:170). What are the "little ways" in which Rachel tries to help? Is Rachel's position in the camp better than that of the members of the Underground? Why doesn't Rachel notice that? Why does Rachel hate the members of the Underground?
- When Rachel finally does help the members of the camp's Underground, she brings them food and weapons, but not enough for everyone (2:9:8:241-242). Does she do that on purpose? Why doesn't she want the members of the Underground to kill Max (2:9:8:242)? What will happen to Rachel if Max gets killed?
Discussion Questions © 2000, 2012 Alexandria Constantinova Szeman
(formerly writing as "Sherri")
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