Devil's Arithmetic Book Report

“Books and the movies are like apples and oranges. They both are fruit, but taste completely different.” -Stephen King. Stephen King was exactly right about that. The book called “Devil’s Arithmetic” has many differences compared to the movie. However, the theme in the movie and the book has been the same thing: ALWAYS remember. Furthermore, there are many other similarities that build up the theme of remembering. We must never forget what occurred during the Holocaust, because if people don’t pay attention to history, the event is doomed to happen again.

First is the summary of the book and the movie. Hannah is a young Jewish girl. She was a brat and loathed going to family reunions because all her family talked about was the memory

of the Holocaust. On Easter, her family sets out to the Bronx, where her grandparents live, for Sedar. Right away, Hannah is irritated. Her family makes her “open the door for Elijah” during the repast because it is a Jewish tradition. When she opens it, she distinguishes a much disparate view than the apartment hallway. Instead, she sees that she was in a village. Later on, she realized that she was transported to 1942. The people who take care of her explain that her parents passed away and that she was now residing in Poland. During Shmuel's wedding, the Nazis come with their trucks saying that the Jews are going to be resettled. The Jews have no choice but to get on the trucks. They travel for three days in a boxcar, and then they reach a death camp. Hannah is very frightened, and so is her friend Rivka. They get tortured there and many of their loved ones die in the camp. Some prisoners try to escape, but they are caught. Towards the end, a Nazi soldier is ordered to take Rivka into the gas chambers. Instead, Hannah goes and dies in the gas chamber. Hannah wakes up as soon as she suffocated, and found that she was back in her grandparent’s apartment building. She realizes that Aunt Eva is her best friend Rivka. Hannah learns her lesson that she must always remember history and how important it is. The title of the book is ‘Devil’s Arithmetic’ and the author is Jane Yolen. The movie’s title is also ‘Devil’s Arithmetic.’ The movie was made in the year of 1999.
Next, we have the similarities. There are many of the same characters, such as Hannah, Rivka, Hannah’s parents, Shmuel, Aunt Eva, and the rabbi. Hannah is very much alike in the book and the movie. In the beginning, she was a brat who hated remembering history. In the book she says, “I’m tired of remembering.” In the camp, Hannah sacrifices herself for Rivka. Hannah finds that people are worth sacrificing yourself for. You may notice that in the movie and the book how Hannah becomes less egotistical and wants her best friend to live a long and jovial life. In the movie and the book, Rivka is Hannah’s best friend and they adore each other. Rivka would do anything for Hannah. Rivka is exuberant, affectionate, and altruistic. She is kind and cares about others rather than herself. Hannah’s parents are the same in the book and the movie. They both scold Hannah when she complains about remembering. Shmuel is loving and entertaining in both the movie and the book. Hannah cares about Shmuel and Shmuel cares about Hannah. Aunt Eva would be an amazing aunt! She is facetious and she acts as Hannah’s mom! Towards the end of both the movie and the book, Aunt Eva kept hugging and kissing Hannah because she loves her so much and she was so happy that Hannah finally realized the importance of remembering! The rabbi is also like his character in the movie because he was always calling out prayers and speaking Yiddish. He kept the Jews’ hopes alive.
The plot is alike in both the movie and the book because Hannah is transported to Poland in 1942. Hannah apparently had had a fever and her parents were dead and then she gets sent to a Nazi death camp with her village. There she finds out why it is so important to remember and why the survivors of the Holocaust never quit talking about their experience. Hannah died in the camp because she saved Rivka’s life. The themes are most definitely the same because Hannah starts out not caring about the past and she thinks people should live in the present. When she gets transported to the past, she goes through so much and she learns the importance of sacrifice and caring for your loved ones. She also learns how important family is what it feels like to lose them. She has learned to be brave and to not cry in front of people who are trying to hurt you. You must be strong and show your enemies that you can take what they are throwing at you. She learned all that by being a prisoner in the camp. At the end of the book, she takes Rivka’s place because she knows that Rivka will lead a stupendous life and be an inspiration to many. There is also much suffering and fear in the book and movie. The author and director illustrated that well to be able to show the audience/readers how repugnant the camp was. Alternatively, there is also hope in both the movie and the book. Hannah tells stories to keep the prisoners’ hopes up.
On the other hand, we have the differences between the movie and the book.

Many of the characters do not even exist in the book or movie. In the book, Hannah has a little brother named Aaron when Hannah is in the present. When Hannah gets transported to the past, she sees a man walking through a field and she turns around and sees an older woman in the house. Those people are Shmuel and Gertrude. They are her aunt and uncle and they care for Hannah since her parents died. In the movie, Hannah does not have a little brother, she is an only child. When she is in the past, Gertrude is not a character and Shmuel is not her uncle. Instead, Hannah meets Rivka in the house and Ricka is Hannah’s cousin. Hannah lives with Rivka and Rivka’s mother. Hannah is also called “Chaya” in the book when she is in 1942. Hannah is just called her regular name in the movie - not her Jewish name. In the book, Shmuel gets married to a stunning woman named Fayge. However, in the movie, Shmuel gets married to Leah, who does not pay any attention to Hannah, unlike Fayge loved Hannah in the book. Hannah meets four friends at the wedding. Their names are: Rachel, Esther, Shifre, and Yente. Then, at the camp, Hannah meets Rivka, who has lived in that camp for one year and she lost all her family members except her brother, who is Grandpa Will in the book. Grandpa Will is also not a character in the movie, so that means that Rivka’s brother is also not a character. The rabbi’s son’s name

was Ariel. He and Hannah had a crush on each other. Ariel was not a character in the book, he was obviously made up so Hannah would have a love interest. The plot is different because when Hannah is sent to the past in the book, there was a small journey because the wedding guests had to get to Fayge’s village. In the movie, the wedding takes place right in the village where Hannah lives. After, they are consigned to the Nazis, who the Jews work all the time. In the book, Hannah toiled in the kitchen cleaning dishes. Whereas, in the movie, Hannah labors outside in a muddy field.
Above all, the movie and the book may be different, but the main idea is clear, and that is to never forget.

The movie and the book were both appreciable and they illustrated how important remembering is. I personally liked the book better because it had more details and I liked the characters better. I liked Gertrude and Aaron. I would recommend this book to 8th graders around the world because it fits their age. They need to know that remembering the past is essential and that the Holocaust did not just happen to Jews. Always remember, and never, EVER,

forget.