The Endless Steppe Questions and Answers
by Esther Hautzig, Esther Rudomin Hautzig

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• The Endless Steppe
  What were the major difficulties faced by Esther in The Endless Steppe?
  Esther experiences a number of major difficulties in the story. For one thing, she and her family are suddenly uprooted from their beautiful home in the city of Vilnius, the capital of modern-day...

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• The Endless Steppe
  If a nation willingly leads its citizens into war, does it really care about its citizens at all?
  That’s an interesting debate question. The overarching concept of war in general is very controversial. Is it actually beneficial? That’s a tough question to answer. However, with the question at...

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• The Endless Steppe
  What dilemma was Esther faced with?
  Esther Rudomin, the main character in The Endless Steppe, is faced with a challenge that would terrify most young children. Esther grew up in a picturesque town in Poland with a large, affluent...

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• The Endless Steppe
  Where does it say that they need boots?
  The Soviets take Esther and her family from their house in a town called Vilna in Poland to a forced labour camp in Siberia. Though it is only October when they arrive, it is already snowing and...

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• The Endless Steppe
  What is the main theme of the story The Endless Steppe?
  The main themes of Esther Hautzig's novel, The Endless Steppe, are the triumph of the human spirit and the love of beauty in the face of unspeakable oppression. When the novel begins, Esther is...

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• The Endless Steppe
  What was Esther Rudomin's contribution in The Endless Steppe?
  It is important to identify the key role that Esther plays in this excellent novel. In fact, the text so centres on her and her development and maturity in the face of the massive difficulties that...

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• The Endless Steppe
  What are the conflicts faced by Esther in The Endless Steppe?
  The Endless Steppe follows ten-year-old Esther Rudomin and the challenges she is forced to face at such a young age. It is a coming-of-age story that truly showcases Esther's strength and...

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• The Endless Steppe
  What is the main topic about The Endless Steppe?
  "THe Endless Steppe" is set against a background of poverty, persecution, and adversity, yet Esther and her family find a way to live. I think the main topic in "The Endless Steppe" is the srenght...

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• The Endless Steppe
  Why are the Rudomins arrested?
  Esther was 10 years old in 1942. She and her parents and grandparents lived in Poland. They had a pretty comfortable life. Then one morning Esther awoke to discover that her family was being taken...

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• The Endless Steppe
  What river ran through the town Esther lived in?
  Esther Rudomin and her family live in the town of Vilna, or Vilnius, which was then in Poland but is now the capital city of Lithuania. As Esther tells us, the city was built along the banks of the...

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• The Endless Steppe
  What things did Esther and her family wear and carry with them that you think will be most useful in their new life?
  Assuming that as we answer this question we know as little as Esther did about where they would be going, I would say that the black oxfords that she wore and the socks she took would be especially...

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