When The World Was Ours

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Parts 1-2

Parts 3-4

Parts 5-6

Parts 7-8

Parts 9-12

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Ferris Wheel and the Photograph

Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of antisemitism and the Holocaust, including human rights violations, severe abuse, violence, genocide, and gruesome death.

The Ferris wheel and the photograph of that day are key symbols in the story, representing The Eternal Bonds of Friendship that outlast time and great suffering, as well as Hope, Resilience, and the Endurance of the Human Spirit. When Leo, Max, and Elsa sit on the Ferris wheel and watch the world go by, it is as if everything they see belongs to them, and they revel in the endless possibilities ahead. It is a moment full of hope and wonder, and the children enjoy fantasizing about the future. As Leo states, “Climbing high above the city made me feel invincible. Vienna was ours to share. A whole city spread out just for Elsa, Max, and me” (4). In this shining moment, the three friends make a promise of eternal friendship, and Leo’s papa takes a photograph of the moment to preserve it forever.

As the years go by and the friends are separated by time and harsh circumstances, they each continue to carry their photograph, and to take it out occasionally and transport themselves back to that special day. Leo keeps the photo to remind him of his friends and of simpler times, while Max keeps the photo to remind himself of a time during which he was truly loved. Elsa keeps the photo to remind herself that the person she used to be is still inside her. As she admits, “While I still have this photograph, I can tell myself that the girl in it still exists. She is still in here somewhere” (261). When Max is caught with the photograph, he is made to burn it, and in doing so, he closes off that part of his life until the day he sees Elsa again. As they stand together, moments away from their own deaths, the two friends focus on Elsa’s photograph and find a way to bring forth the long-lost connection of their former friendship. When Leo’s Papa recovers the photo from the scene and brings it home for Leo, seeing it again connects Leo to his friends and reinforces their friendship for a lifetime.

Judaism and Freedom of Belief

Judaism and freedom of belief form a central motif in When the World Was Ours, as two of the protagonists are Jewish, while the third becomes a Nazi and tries for years to convince himself to hate Jewish people. By promoting the importance of freedom of belief, the author injects the narrative with a sense of hope that the Jewish people will one day regain their freedom, and this hope keeps Elsa and Leo alive. Elsa’s family does not practice Judaism, but they still consider themselves to be part of the Jewish culture, and they are treated just the same as the Jews who do practice. Leo’s family openly practices and attends synagogue, and at one point Leo’s father is injured when some men attack the synagogue during prayer. While Elsa and her family do not practice Judaism anymore, they do own some candles that have been passed down through the generations; this heirloom symbolizes their religion and their heritage. In a blatant assault against their faith, Nazis steal the candles from their home even as Vati begs them not to. Historically, Jews, Roma, and LGTBQ+ people were all persecuted by the Nazis for their beliefs and culture. Additionally, the Nazis also killed at least five million political prisoners from the Soviet Union, punishing them for having views that did not match their own. Stories like When the World Was Ours are designed to remind readers of the importance of the freedom of belief and the ability to honor one’s heritage.

Antisemitism and Nazism

Nazism was a political movement that spread throughout Germany and the rest of Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, especially during World War II. At the heart of this movement was a desire to erase any group deemed inferior or subhuman. Jewish people were one of many targeted groups, and The Insidious Process of Dehumanization began, culminating with the Holocaust and the systematic murder of approximately 6 million Jewish people across various countries in Europe. In When the World Was Ours, this process of dehumanization is demonstrated in the transformation of Max from a young, naïve boy who craves acceptance and praise to a hardened young soldier-in-training who has been indoctrinated into the Nazi belief in a “superior race.” Before this full transformation, the young Max watches as his best friends are directly affected by antisemitism when Hitler takes over Austria. Elsa is forced to move to a new country on short notice and later subjected to the horrors of the “ghettos” and concentration camps, and Leo is singled out, segregated, and eventually cast out from society. By contrast, Max succumbs to his father’s toxic influence and joins the German Youth, eventually becoming fully immersed in Nazism and making every effort to forget his old friendships in order to reconcile his cognitive dissonance over the contrast between his love for Elsa and Leo and the twisted values he is now being taught. Max wrestles with this conflict until his death, and although the novel ends on a hopeful note, the author uses the experiences of Elsa, Max, and Leo to demonstrate The Ruinous Effects of War and Hatred.