When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

Max is Anna’s brother; he is two years older than Anna. Like Anna, Max is initially naive. As the Berlin elections loom and Anna and Max’s parents grapple with whether to flee the country, Max’s concerns initially revolve around childish play and a wish to go tobogganing.

Being older, Max understands the gravity of the situation before Anna does. Shortly after their escape, he realizes that the family has now lost everything. At their hotel in Switzerland, he explains to Anna that “the Nazis have pinched the lot […] it’s called confiscation of property” (47). When Anna cries about leaving her Pink Rabbit behind, Max wisely points out that, “we’re lucky to be here at all” (47).

Like Anna, Max turns his struggle to triumph. Teachers in Berlin and in German-speaking Zurich report that Max lacks motivation at school. Then the family moves to Paris, and Max is forced to learn a new language among a class of fluent French speakers. He feels embarrassed over being foreign, complaining about “being so different from everyone else” (127). In only 18 months, Max not only learns French fluently, but tops his class. Just like Anna, Max’s newfound adaptability and determination help him to thrive in spite of the difficulties of his situation.

Anna and Max’s Papa is a writer. In the lead up to Hitler’s 1933 election as Chancellor, Papa continues to write socialist-adjacent material that critiques the Nazi party. Mama explains, “The Nazis don’t like people who disagree with them” (18). This means that Papa is increasingly unsafe as the election approaches. After he is given a tip-off from a sympathetic policeman, Papa decides that he must flee Germany, with his family following soon afterward. His concerns are proved justified when the Nazis arrive at their home to confiscate their passports shortly after their escape.

Through his writing and attitude, Papa acts as a symbol of The Importance of Resilience. He refuses to stop criticizing the Nazis even after there is a price put on his head for his arrest. When Switzerland becomes reluctant to print his work, he moves the family to Paris to continue his resistance. Papa offers opinions on Anna’s childish concerns that demonstrate his strong moral code, and that often mirror his own, more adult, concerns. Anna’s teacher tells her that she should write poems about more cheerful matters, but Anna’s Papa insists, “[I]f you want to write about disasters, that’s what you must do. It’s not use trying to write what other people want” (15). This reflects his commitment to writing honestly, even when under threat.

Papa also helps the family to be resilient through their constant challenges by embracing the excitement and adventure that comes with refugee life. Papa tells Anna that, although it is unsettling to have to leave one’s country, “it is very interesting” (66). This helps Anna to feel positive and excited about their situation. However, Papa’s behavior sometimes shows signs of sadness and trauma as well, reflecting The Challenges of the Refugee Experience: He suffers from nightmares about his escape from the Nazis, and is deeply grieved by Onkel Julius’s death. His strength of spirit helps him to confront and overcome these difficulties for the sake of his family.

Anna and Max’s mother must manage significant stress as she and her family are displaced by the Nazi’s rise to power. She is characterized as a loving but imperfect person managing her own difficulties. Mama is unusually snappy at Anna at the novel’s opening, illustrating her stress at the family’s choice of whether to flee the country or not. Anna also notices, but doesn’t properly understand, her mother’s stress as they approach the German/Swiss border, when she nervously presses her handbag while trying to remain outwardly calm. 

Later, in Paris, Mama struggles under the massive weight of managing domestic tasks on a shoestring budget. As a woman raised wealthy, she feels unable to cope: She cries and yells, telling her husband, “all I ever learned to do was play the piano” (158). Her lavish Berlin lifestyle gave her no practical skills, and she feels oppressed and exhausted with her new responsibilities. Nevertheless, Mama works hard to master domestic tasks, learning how to make clothes for Anna and Max, how to keep their house, and how to cook delicious meals that even Anna’s French lunch lady admires. Mama’s adjustment to a completely different way of life to care for her family reflects The Importance of Resilience.

Furthermore, even while managing her own stress, she is a pillar of strength and support for her children. When Anna throws her homework to the ground and cries, Mama takes her for pastries and tea with their meager allowance, encouraging her to persevere with her schoolwork and her efforts to learn French. Mama creatively uses their limited resources to make their home and special occasions, such as Christmas, enjoyable for the family, such as when she makes a beautiful tree: “[I]t looked so pretty, shining green and silver […] [that] Anna suddenly knew that Christmas would be all right” (110). Just like Papa, Mama sets an example for their children, teaching them how to overcome the difficulties that they face.