Literary Themes and Symbols of the Holocaust - 864 Words

Literary Themes and Symbols of the Holocaust Although Holocaust literature focuses on a specific period in world history, it also contains some common themes and symbols that help to define this era. The butterfly, for instance, is a symbol for the ephemeral lives of Holocaust children. A child, Pavel Friedman, wrote a poem titled The Butterfly during his time in a concentration camp. Since then, the butterfly has been a Holocaust theme for the large number of children who did not survive. A book,I Never Saw Another Butterfly, compiled by Inge Auerbacher, a Holocaust survivor at Terezà ­n, features artwork, poems (including Friedmans poem), and words from many of the young children who died inside Terezà ­ns walls. Patricia PolaccosThe Butterfly also connects to this symbol as a butterfly gets crushed in a fist, helping show young children the horrors that occurred during the Holocaust in ways that could easily be understood. The theme of voice is also prevalent in many works. Some literary pieces, likeThe Diary of a Young Girl, explore how the absence of a voice keeps families safe; others show the power of the voice as they speak out against the atrocities of the time. Trains are also a main symbol in Holocaust literature, especially inNight. These modes of transportation are what carried Jews from their old lives to their new ones. Some were on trains escaping persecution; others were on their way to concentration camps; both had uncertain futures. God and theShow MoreRelatedThere Will Come Soft Rain Research Paper1689 Words   |  7 Pageshappen when mankind is no longer there. What is left is just technology. It shows how people got very dependent on technology. But Nature is the strongest force out there and there is not one thing that can stop nature. The scenario is that a nuclear holocaust destroyed everything except this one house. This house is fully equipped with 21st century technology. 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