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   akannan Teacher
   Middle School

   eNotes Editor

   Hannah faces a couple of challenges.  The most evident one is that she must reconcile the fact that she is inextricably linked to a past that she used to deride.  At the outset of the story, she seems, at best, disinterested and, at worst, resentful of the her heritage.  After allowing the prophet to enter and stepping through the threshold, she now finds herself immersed in that which she abdicated.  She must reconcile her previous condition to the one in which she is.  After walking back into 1942 Poland, Hannah, now as Chaya, must face a series of obstacles simply because of her heritage, a stunning reminder to her (and us) that no matter how much time has passed, one can never dismiss the past.  Her primary challenge is situated in concentration camp life and the ultimate sacrifice she must make for another.

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   Posted by akannan on Wednesday September 9, 2009 at 4:16 PM