Heritage and Identity in Pat Barker's Regeneration

The history of Jews in host cities often depict a story of success or of failure when it comes to relations between the Jews and the Christians in Europe. Historian Jonathan Elukin, author of Living Together, Living Apart, presents the integration as a success process with rare, and special cases, of failure. On the other side of the spectrum is historian Raymond P. Scheindlin. Scheindlin’s novel, A Short History of the Jewish People, presents many cases of integration between the Christians and Jews that led to massacres and brutal endings for the Jewish community. There are many monumental events that take place during the long span of time that oversees European Jewish history, and both historians study and evaluate the events, however, they do so through different lenses.

Baker’s memoir portrays the value of memory in humanising the objectiveness of historical truth and its role in developing an individual’s ability to understand how past events shape their cultural identity. Throughout The Fiftieth Gate, Baker’s position as a historian colours his perspective in understanding the past events of the Holocaust; in his use of polyphonous voices, the multiple voices are able to provide insight into different perspectives and their memories. He finds that his parents’ memories are valuable in deepening his understanding of the past and his Jewish culture, as

When Irene Safran was only twenty-one years old, her carefree life ended in the face of the Holocaust. Born to two Jewish parents as one of ten children-- four girls and six boys in all-- in Munkachevo, Czechoslovakia around the year 1923, her world changed in early April 1944 when she and her family were transferred to a Jewish ghetto. For the next year, Irene's life was a series of deaths, losses, and humiliations no human should ever have to suffer, culminating, years later, with a triumphant ending. Her story is proof that the human spirit can triumph over all manner of adversity and evil.

Nechama Tec’s autobiography Dry Tears: The Story of a Lost Childhood tells the narrative of her experiences as a young Jewish girl in Nazi occupied Poland during the second World War. Nechama was able to survive, and protect her family, through the Holocaust by hiding her true identity and pretending to be Polish. She was able to do this because of her blond hair, light skin, blue eyes, and ability to speak unaccented Polish, which made her physically indistinguishable from an “Aryan” child. Nechama Tec’s story emphasizes the themes of identity, cultural assimilation, and passing, both socially and physically, as something that you are not, while also attempting to convey the entirely contradictory, hypocritical,

The Holocaust becomes the center of this. Whether it be at his Hebrew school, where Jewish history shaped not only the curriculum they learn. But, also as a collective identity shared by a new and contemporary Jewish generation. While still being connected to the past. This is a struggle for Mark, who does not even identify himself as Jewish for most of the story, He is continuously challenged with where to place himself in this new world, as a second-generation immigrant to Toronto. For Mark, being a young Latvian Jew is not easy.

He believes in helping the soldiers from their disability and war neurosis however he knows that once the soldiers are better they have to go right back onto the front line in effect placing the soldiers right back into the world which they have just recovered from visiting. Rivers himself was a soldier in the war including his experience and throughout the novel he starts to open up and use his experience to help both himself and the other patients. Dr Rivers finds himself changing and transforming his attitude to war, through speaking with his patients and hearing their horrific

The jump point for my psychoanalysis begins where the reader begins, the opening title. Rivers, the first part of Sherston’s Progress, named after his psychologist. The choice makes the reader think, why Rivers? Who is Rivers to George besides simply a psychologist? The first note George gives us about Rivers which jumps out to me is the following: “anyhow his name had obvious free associations with pleasant landscapes and unruffled estuaries.” Initially this seems just happen stance but in further reading of the book, one realizes that nature is personal comfort of George’s. Rivers is the only character in the semi fictional autobiography to maintain his real name and this puts him in a seemingly elevated position within Sassoon’s life. Just the act of creating a fictionalized version of an autobiography demonstrates a want to recreate one’s life. Much like George

However, I believe that the element of Judaism is meant to shine through throughout in the

Rivers goes home and prepares his nightly bath. He constantly thinks about the hospital and the welfare of his patients. He resents the luxury Sassoon has to object to the war. Though Rivers wants nothing more than for the war to end so that he may return to his research in Cambridge, he understands that it should not be left to another generation to fight German militarism.

66-67). This discussion between Dr. Rivers and Prior is important because it shows the problem of class distinction in the story. Even though Prior is a second Lieutenant (a highly respected position in the warfront), his lower class status is the reason that his fellow officers snub him. In the story, soldiers are brought to the mental ward to get well in order to go immediately back to the war front. This way of thinking shows how the social structure views lower class soldiers. Soldiers with a higher class are regarded better than soldiers with a lower class; lower class soldiers are disregarded and viewed as disposable, a fact that shows why lower class soldiers transfer through the hospital quickly in order to get back on the war front. Because Prior discussed his personal experiences with Dr. Rivers, the problem of social class is able to become a major theme in Regeneration.

Catana Tully’s “Split at the Root” essay is an extremely powerful reading that emphasizes Tully’s struggles with being a jew, and how she has to adapt to all of the Jewish traditions. Tully’s community is quite obviously the Jewish population, with subdivisions separating jews from different areas and contrasting personalities. I enjoyed the entire essay mainly because of Tully’s in depth description of her own life, and how she walks the reader through a well devised portrayal of her school hardships and criticizing parents. Her analysis of Cambridge school life, along with her father’s deteriorating illness, and numerous fresh new topics made her life story truly intriguing. Not only that, I also liked how the article was easy to follow

Another night disturbed by the same memory. It had been six months since I was left to be taken care of by the old couple, Mr. and Mrs. Winchester. It is often lonely within the cold manor located within the countryside of England. Far away from the British government and other children. Locked away so I won’t be taken or attacked due to my nationality. My parents escaped Germany because of the whispers of the plans for an Aryan race. One which a blind girl like myself could never belong.

The careful transformation from a scared Jewish boy to a German citizen began after the national Jewish tragedy of Kristallnacht in 1939. My family was able to keep me hidden, however, my parents and older brother were not so lucky. The next afternoon, they were nowhere to be found, and I assumed the worst. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself, a Jew in Germany with no family; I was terrified they would find me. It was not the ideal situation. The first thing I did was run to some of my father’s oldest and most trusted friends, they were German, but I knew that they would keep me safe. My stay was brief, though, as I knew that I had put them in danger the moment they let me in and if they had gotten caught harboring a Jew, those consequences I would not wish

In I Have Lived a Thousand Years, by Livia Bitton-Jackson, the cynical attitudes of the Nazis, lead to the ill-treatment of Jews. The somber events which took place during World War II, are authentically represented by the plot of the novel, and evidently shape the attitudes and actions which the characters display. Specifically, this novel illustrates the strenuous events from the point of view of a Jewish family: the Friedmanns. The persecution Jews face, not only shapes the plot of the novel, but also supports the development of the theme: hope. Both the plot, as well as characters, work in cooperation to produce situations which directly support the theme. During their incredible challenges, the family’s hope is strengthened through their

A young boy named Bruno has just found out that his dad has gotten a promotion and needs to move to the country. 8-year old Bruno is not very fond of the idea. In this story family has decided to throw a party in order to celebrate. Seeing as the dad is a supremacist every one invited to the party are not only celebrating the fact that he has gotten a promotion but in my eyes it seems as if they are celebrating the fact that the dad is going out to “protect” their race from jews who are assumed to destructive. In the new house Bruno starts to develop a funding relationship with current jew in the house- Pavel. Bruno was starting to feel alone and once established in their new home Bruno decides to wanders off on his own after Bruno was prohibited to play with “the kids on the farm”. Us as viewers all know that was just said to keep Bruno away from the concentration camps.