When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

In the exposition, the social and political unrest in Germany in early 1933 is established. Dramatic irony occurs as these events are told through the perspective of children, who cannot properly contextualize their importance. Elsbeth and Anna pass the poster of Hitler on their walk home from school; they discuss the fact that, “he’s going to stop the Jews” (8), but also discuss the extent to which he looks like Charlie Chaplin, illustrating that they do not understand the importance of the upcoming election or take Hitler’s threat seriously. Anna points out that she and her family are Jewish, even though they’re not religious. This foreshadows that Anna’s family will soon become a persecuted minority, establishing the theme of The Threat of Antisemitism.

Further clues regarding the country’s instability are evident in the behavior of the adults in Anna’s life, who have a better grasp of the gravity of the situation. Mama is uncharacteristically short-tempered in Chapter 1 and shouts at Anna, which implies that she is under significant strain. Furthermore, Fraulein Lambeck refers to the importance of Anna’s father’s work in the “terrible times” that they are experiencing, further alluding to the country’s division and its spiral toward becoming a fascist dictatorship (9).

While Anna’s family is clearly wealthy, the widespread financial hardship in Germany is alluded to through Gunther’s family. Gunther’s trousers are worn and ripped, but cannot be replaced: “Gunther’s family was out of work and there was no money at home for new clothes” (11). Financial hardship in the interwar years was one of the main sources of dissatisfaction among Germans, who were burdened with enormous war reparation repayments. This dissatisfaction was leveraged by Hitler and the Nazi party, who promised a return to German affluence and greatness.

Pathetic fallacy occurs in the foreboding weather before the election: “at last on the afternoon of the Sunday before the elections the sky turned very dark and then suddenly opened up to release a mass of floating, drifting, whirling white” (21). Dramatic irony continues to emphasize the comparative naivete of Max and Anna, who are more concerned with their own childish matters—Max’s main concern is whether they will be allowed to go tobogganing. Neither child realizes that the outcome of the election will profoundly affect their lives and that of many others.

Papa’s awareness of The Threat of Antisemitism drives his decision to flee the country, even though many believe this is an overreaction. Onkel Julius says, “I do think he’s taking all this too seriously” (25); it is later revealed that “the Nazis came for all [the family’s] passports the morning after the election” (47). It is a historically accurate fact that many who were branded political enemies, such as those who expressed anti-Nazi sentiments, were imprisoned in 1933. It is highly likely that Anna’s father, as a Jew as well as a political enemy, would have been targeted in these arrests. By contrast, Onkel Julius is characterized as naive and trusting, unaware of the danger he is in. He confidently returns to Germany from Switzerland even after Papa implores him to remain with them: “I’m not even Jewish unless you count my poor old Grandmother” (54), he argues. Onkel Julius’s eventual loss of his job, his home, and his zoo-visiting privileges (which appear in Chapter 23), culminating in his death by suicide, are thus foreshadowed in these early chapters.

The stress of the family’s flight from Germany introduces the theme of The Challenges of the Refugee Experience. Once again, Anna is not old enough to grasp the gravity of the situation as they approach passport control at the German/Swiss border. Mama’s stress is suggested through her grasping and constantly checking her handbag: “[S]he was holding it very tight […] She was clutching it so hard that one of her fingers was digging right in the camel’s face […] she peered into it every so often to see if the passports were still there” (30). Anna misjudges the situation, not understanding that Mama fears detection and potential arrest at the border. Mama’s immense relief when they are let through the border is clear: “Mama put the camel bag down on the seat beside her and smiled and smiled” (37). Just as her clutching of the bag reflects her fear of the border-crossing, her release of it and smile illustrate that the danger has passed. Anna also notes her father’s exuberant greeting at the station, as “he hugged and hugged them all and would not let them go. ‘I couldn’t see you,’ Papa said. ‘I was afraid […]’” (38). Anna’s parents’ anxieties reflect how precarious the family’s situation was while escaping Germany, even if Anna is too young to recognize it.

Anna also does not understand that their flight from Germany may be permanent. The conversation between Anna and her mother regarding the blossoming trees in the south of Germany encapsulates Anna’s childish optimism and her mother’s more realistic understanding: “‘[I]f the blossom isn’t out this time,’ she said, ‘can we see it another time?’ Mama did not answer at once. Then she said, ‘I hope so’” (31). In replying, “I hope so,” Mama alludes to the fact that the family may never be able to return to Germany. The family’s permanent exile from Germany is thus foreshadowed.

The burning of books by the Nazi party, which the adults discuss, relates to the themes of The Threat of Antisemitism and The Importance of Resilience. Papa’s books are considered unsuitable because he is a Jew and a socialist writer, and therefore the Nazi party destroys these materials. Their insidious program of propaganda and antisemitism is embodied in their attempt to control and destroy all signs of dissidence. Papa, who writes anti-Nazi material, is characterized as a morally righteous character who believes in expressing oneself honestly and openly. He is a symbol of The Importance of Resilience in his determination to continue his anti-Nazi writing abroad. His urging Anna to write dark and troubled poetry if this feels important to her, rather than following her teacher’s advice to choose only cheerful subjects, reflects his own work as a dissident writer. Onkel Julius refers to other writers who have “compromised” and “written an article in praise of the new regime” (53). Papa refuses to surrender, even resolving that they will move from Switzerland to France if the Swiss papers won’t print his work.