The Zookeeper's Wife Analysis

2036 Words5 Pages

"The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman tells the story of Jan and Antonina Żabiński and their efforts to keep the zoo they own and Warsaw's Jews safe during the Nazi's invasion of Poland in September of 1939.  
Jan Żabiński was the son of a Polish railroad engineer but decided against following in his father's footsteps by becoming an engineer. Instead engineering, he showed an interest and passion for zoology. He pursued his passions and became the director of Warsaw Zoo in 1929. Antonia grew up in slightly more difficult circumstances than Jan, both of her parents were shot and killed as Intelligentsia members during the Russian Revolution. As a young girl, Antonia moved to Warsaw to live with her aunt where she would later become an Archivist …show more content…

Dr .Muller helped Jan escape and return home by faking his arrest and bringing him back to Warsaw as a prisoner but releasing him upon their arrival. Jan and Antonia go back to the zoo to find even more injured animals. After Warsaw officially surrenders3, Germany takes over and Antonia and Jan return to the zoo permanently. During this, a Polish resistance is on the rise and Jan is interested in becoming a member in it, but before he can deal with that, they have bigger issues. The two are visited by a representative for Lutz Heck, the director of Berlin Zoo. Heck wants all of Warsaw Zoo's animals since he knows that the zoo is in massive danger from the war and the fact that it could be liquidated any day. Heck is obsessed with the idea of "animal purity". An idea that would later carry over into the human race and Hitler's idea of an Aryan race. …show more content…

The Zegota are loyal to "rescue, not sabotage or fighting, and, as such, it was the only organization of its kind occupied in Europe during the time of the war." Jan and Antonia become a part of Zegota and help save many Jews which of course become guests in their zoo. The zoo soon becomes home to a Nazi fur farm where they raise foxes and other animals simply for their fur. The Żabiński house becomes known as a "Noah's Ark" due to all the animals and people living there. In December of 1943, Antonia bleaches some of the guests hair in order to make them appear more Aryan. A woman named Dr. Mada Walter will then open an institute to help many more Jews pass as

Open Document