When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1971

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-18

Chapters 19-24

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Importance of Resilience

The importance of resistance is a key theme in the novel, as resilience is a central component of Papa’s moral code and the foundation for the family’s survival in exile. Throughout When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Anna gradually learns how to nurture her own resilience through mirroring the values her parents teach and model for her.

Papa is outspoken in his criticism of the Nazi party, and he must flee Germany when he receives a tip-off about his possible arrest. Undaunted, he continues to write anti-Nazi sentiments from abroad, even after the Nazis offer a reward for his arrest. Papa’s courage and resilience are contrasted with an unnamed writer in Germany, who Onkel Julius mentions was cowed by the threat of the Nazis and wrote “an article in praise of the new regime” (53). When the Swiss newspapers, who carefully enforce Switzerland’s political neutrality, will not print Papa’s writing, Papa resolves to move the family to Paris: “[I]f the Swiss won’t print anything I write for fear of upsetting the Nazis […] we may as well live in another country altogether” (66).

Papa’s principled stand sets an example for Anna and Max, who become more resilient themselves as the novel progresses. Both Max and Anna are initially frustrated and overwhelmed by the challenge of learning a new language, but in only 18 months in France, Anna earns distinctions in all of her classes and writes a prize-winning essay about her father’s traumatic flight from Germany. Max becomes the best student in his class after struggling at school in both Germany and Switzerland. By the end of the novel, both children are ready to embrace the stresses of yet another move, with Anna confidently declaring that they will learn English in a few months’ time.

The family finds resilience and joy in their unity, coping with their loss of wealth and possessions by recognizing the limitless value in being safe together. As Anna recognizes, “[I]f you don’t have a home, you’ve got to be with your people” (179). The family embraces the adventurousness and excitement of life in foreign countries, opening themselves up to new experiences and connections. An example of this is when they celebrate the Fourteenth of July, staying up all night with the Fernands drinking, eating, laughing, dancing, and singing the Marseilles. Reflecting on the last few years at the novel’s end, Anna notes, “some things had been difficult, but it has always been interesting and often funny” (190). She has, like the rest of her family, learned to become stronger and more confident through confronting the challenges of exile.

The Threat of Antisemitism

The lives of Anna and her family are shaped by the constant threat of antisemitism. The novel opens shortly before the 1933 election. Anna and her friend, Elsbeth, describe Hitler’s plan to “stop the Jews” (8), and Anna reveals that her own family are Jewish. Furthermore, Anna’s father’s status as a political enemy is implied in the tip-off from the policeman about the planned seizure of his passport, which is likely a precursor to his arrest.

Papa alludes to the bogus theories of racial inferiority propagated by the Nazis, which generalize Jewish people in hateful ways: “[T]he Nazis say that Jews are dishonest […] lazy […] mean […] rude” (85-86). Anna and Max experience the hateful messaging spread by the Nazi party firsthand, when the children Siegfried and Gudrun are banned from playing with them. The drama among the children is an analogy to the broader geopolitical situation. Siegfried and Gudrun’s family epitomizes Nazi values: They believe that the Jewish race is inferior and should not be allowed to interact with other Germans. Anna and Max’s experience of discrimination thus embodies the wider threats faced by the Jewish people at this time.

The family’s flight from Germany is fraught and dangerous, even though the children do not realize the full gravity of the situation. Anna’s mother’s fear is characterized in the way she clutches her handbag at the Swiss/German border, while their joyous reunion with Papa emphasizes the danger they were in, with Papa admitting, “I was afraid” (38), fearing his family would be detained. Papa and Mama’s fears are confirmed when they learn that police arrived to confiscate their passports the day after Hitler’s election. Even years after his successful escape from Germany, Papa has recurring nightmares of being arrested as he leaves Germany, characterizing the intensity of the fear he felt: “[T]he nightmares always started slowly with Papa moaning and making frightening grunting sounds until at last they exploded into a great cry” (117). Papa’s nightmares speak to the ongoing trauma he feels even when he is in a place of relative safety.

The family also hears of the fates of Jewish colleagues and friends who remained in Germany, with antisemitism becoming more overt and violent. Anna is distressed at the story of the professor who is tied up like a dog in a concentration camp, which makes her feel “suddenly […] sick” (81). The family is especially distressed to hear of Onkel Julius’s death by suicide. Onkel Julius is deprived of his job because of his Jewish ancestry and is reduced to poverty. After he receives “an official letter revoking his pass to the Zoo” (182), Julius cannot cope. Julius’s tragic fate represents the fate suffered by millions of the Nazi’s victims, revealing the individual tragedies born of antisemitic violence.

The Challenges of the Refugee Experience

Having fled Germany, Anna and her family face constant challenges as refugees. Within the space of only three years, the family moves from Germany, to Switzerland, and then to France. Throughout the novel, their experiences reflect the difficulties faced by refugees who must rebuild their lives in new and unfamiliar places.

These struggles are rendered through Anna’s perspective. Anna feels upset at not getting many presents or much fanfare for her 10^th birthday in Switzerland. She remembers previous lavish birthdays in Berlin, complete with birthday cake, presents, and “a party with at least twenty children” (64). The family constantly struggles financially, which takes a toll on them. The strain reaches a peak in Paris, when a Depression means that Papa cannot find work. He sadly admits that Anna “look[s] a bit needy” (135) and must accept the charitable donation of cloth for new clothes from Great-Aunt Sarah. Anna notices that “[h]is face looked very tired” (135), with Papa’s “very tired” face denoting his feelings of shame and frustration at not being able to provide for the family. Meanwhile, Mama—who has always lived an aristocratic life—struggles under the weight of domestic chores. She sometimes cries or becomes angry out of sheer frustration, revealing the considerable strain she is constantly under.

Papa also mentions the plight of other Jewish refugees that he encounters. He describes a famous actor who once “was the guest of honour at a banquet at the Berlin Opera” (84), and who is now selling strudel and pastries in Paris to survive. The family hears of similar hardships, with once-wealthy families reduced to poverty. Even their Cousin Otto reflects the sudden change in circumstances faced by many, with Anna noticing that, in Berlin, he had been “a rather dapper man, but now he looked shabby in a crumpled coat” (189).

The children also face many difficulties of their own. In France, both Max and Anna struggle with learning French, feeling despondent and frustrated at being unable to understand their lessons: “[I]t was strange to be having a lesson at school without even knowing what it was about” (123). Max admits to Anna that it is exhausting and embarrassing “being so different to everyone else” (127). The children are also occasionally reminded of what they have lost, such as when they must play with a friend’s games because their own were seized in Germany after they fled. Thus, while the novel celebrates The Importance of Resilience and the family’s eventual triumphs, it also explores the many challenges that come with being refugees.