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The Theme Of Antisemitism In 'Night Of Surrender'

Decent Essays

I think “Night of Surrender” serves to showcase the difficulty Holocaust survivors faced when attempting to transition back into the regular world. This tension faced by all Jewish survivors after World War 2 is the central theme of the story. We see the female protagonist struggle with trying to find happiness after staying relatively safe during the Holocaust. “I should be happy to have survived, but I wasn’t happy, and I was upset to be so sad” (Fink 93). The woman cannot seem to escape her past even on such a celebratory night the night of the surrender. She goes on to reveal herself as Jewish and talks about her struggle with her significant other Mike, saying “Do you know what it means to live in fear, lying, never speaking your own language. Or thinking with your own brain, or looking with your own eyes?” (Fink 100). I think Fink is showing us that it’s easy to think liberation brought about pure happiness for the Jewish people which enabled them to live happy fulfilling lives, however many were hurt emotionally beyond repair by the Nazi regime. What most startles me about this piece is the idea that even after the war people felt as if they had to hide their Jewish faith out of fear of Antisemitism. I liked how this story showcased the different viewpoints on Judaism during the time. While Antisemitism thrived in Europe, Mike who was an American didn’t seem to care at all that Ann was Jewish. The quote I think is worth discussing is when Ann states “My knowledge of

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