The Devil's Arithmetic Notes
Characters
Hannah/Chaya - main character, a Jewish teenager who is embarrassed by her family and traditions then somehow travels back in time to experience the Holocaust and learns the importance of remembering her heritage and the struggles faced by her ancestors.
Chaya is a girl about Hannah’s age who lost her parents to an illness in the city then was sent to live with her aunt and uncle in a small shtetl to recover and live out her life. Not long after she arrives, the family is taken by the Nazis and moved to a concentration camp. Chaya dies a hero in the camp after volunteering to go to the ovens.
Rosemary - Hannah’s friend, who is not Jewish. The book begins with Hannah’s family leaving Rosemary’s house after an Easter celebration
Aunt Eva/Rivka - Hannah's favorite aunt, who she felt a magical connection to when she was younger. Hannah is named after Eva’s friend Chaya who she met in a Concentration Camp. Chaya died in the camp. We find out at the end that Chaya saved Eva’s life. Rivkah changed her name to Eva when she came to the US.
Grandpa Will/Wolfe - Hannah's grandfather, who also experienced the horrors of the Holocaust and often reflects on the significance of remembering the past, most likely has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to his experiences in a concentration camp. Wolfe was one of the prisoners forced to run the ovens where people were sent to be burned alive, and he had to handle the dead. Wolfe changed his name to Will when he immigrated to the US after the war.
Aaron - Hannah’s younger brother, who is participating in some Passover traditions for the first time, nervous but excited
Hannah’s mom and dad - Hannah’s parents, who try to enforce the importance of family and traditions, but Hannah doesn’t really get it
Aunt Rose - Hannah’s aunt who comments on how much Hannah has grown
Uncle Sam - Aunt Rose’s husband
Grandma Belle - Hannah’s grandmother and Will’s wife
Gitl - Chaya’s aunt who takes care of her after the loss of her mother and father; known as Tante Gitl; she survives the camp and moves to Israel and starts an organization to help survivors that she names after her niece.
Shmuel - Gitl’s brother, and Chaya’s uncle who is about to get married to Fayge, he is executed in the Concentration camp after attempting to escape
Fayge - Shmuel’s fiance from a neighboring shtetl, she is known for her beauty and strong will. She attempts to escape with Shmuel and is sent to the firing squad as well.
Reb Borusch - the village rabbi, a wise and respected leader who guides the community.
Moishe -
Yitzchak the Butcher - A widower with young children, he and Gitl like each other, and the community think they would be a good match; He makes it to the woods during the escape attempt and survives to move to Israel, where he becomes a politician
Reuven - Yitzchak’s son, a very young boy; he falls when running to the midden and makes the Commandant stop. When the Commandant discovers that Reuven’s mother is dead, he sends the little boy to the ovens, and he does not come back.
Tzipporah - Yitzchak’s daughter; a little girl; she makes it to the barracks but Hannah/Chaya finds her curled into a ball in the morning with a fly on her cheek. She died.
Shifre - a girl who Hannah/Chaya meets in the woods on the way to Viosk. They become close friends in the Concentration Camp.
Rachel - a girl Hannah/Chaya meets in the woods on the way to Viosk for the wedding. She gets sick in the packed cattle car on the way to the Concentration Camp and dies on the way.
Esther - another girl from the Shtetl who Hannah/Chaya meets in the woods on the way to Viosk. They become good friends in the Concentration Camp
Leye - a woman in the Concentration Camp with a very young child; the girls in the camp hide the baby and the younger children who were supposed to be killed on arrival, Leye and the baby both survive the camp.
Commandant Breuer - the commander of the Concentration Camp, the teenage girls are in charge of hiding the young children from him when he comes through the camp for inspections. They survive as long as he doesn’t see them. He chooses people to send to the gas chambers/ovens when he comes through.
Leye’s baby - A baby girl who someone has to take to the midden to hide. Hannah/Chaya save her by jumping in with her; Leye is irritated that Chaya didn’t take the baby’s clothes off before jumping in; the other girls in the camp remind her that Chaya saves the baby’s life.
Guards - The Nazi soldiers who run camp security and keep the prisoners in line. They do not strictly enforce some rules, like getting rid of small children in the camp unless the Commandant is there
The Blokova - the woman who runs the camp and hands out labor to the female prisoners. She does not like Jews, and she locks the women in the barracks at night to prevent escape.
Plot
Hannah doesn’t want to go to Passover Seder with her family after going to her friend, Rosemary’s house to celebrate Easter.
She helps Aaron remember the four questions because he gets nervous.
Aaron hid the matzoh thing in the blue in the laundry basket.
Grandpa Will shouts at the TV while there is a Holocaust memorial presentation on screen. Hannah is embarrassed.
Hannah gets watered wine and gets woozy.
Hannah “sacrifices” all her wine.
She opens the door and gets transported back in time.
Shmuel is getting married to Fayge.
Hannah meets Rachel, Esther, and Shifre in the woods on the way to the wedding.
She tells the girls stories, using movies from her time as the material of the stories.
Star Wars confuses them.
When they get to Viosk, the Nazis are waiting to take them away.
The rest of the village is already gone.
They are loaded into cattle cars.
They’re scared.
People die, including Rachel.
They’re let out at the Concentration Camp.
The Blokova gives orders. She doesn’t like Jews.
Hannah tries to warn everyone, but they don’t believe her.
They get their heads shaved and get number tattoos.
The Tattooer asks for Hannah’s name. His daughter’s name was also Chaya.
Hannah is wearing the other Chaya’s dress.
They get to the Barracks and are locked in for the night.
Tzipporah doesn’t wake up in the morning.
Hannah meets Rivka.
The children hide in the midden. Clucking.
Hannah saves Leye’s baby.
The girls start working in the camp.
Rivka teaches them about “organizing” things.
Commandant Breuer comes through for the first “Choosing.”
They aren’t allowed to talk about death.
Newcomers start being sent straight up the smokestack.
The adults start planning an escape.
Reuven gets chosen.
The escape plan fails.
Yitzchak makes it to the woods.
Shmuel, Fayge, and other prisoners are sent to the firing squad for the escape attempt.
Hannah takes Rivka’s place in being “chosen” with Esther and Shifre.
Hannah comes back to the future.
Hannah discovers that Rivka was Aunt Eva.
Aunt Eva tells Hannah that Gitl, Yitzchak, Leye, and the baby survived.
Gitl and Yitzchak moved to Israel.
Setting
Rosemary’s house
The family car
Grandparents’ apartment
Dinner table
New Rochelle, New York
The Bronx
Shtetl (village)
Shmuel and Gitl’s house
Viosk
Field
Woods
Cattle cars on the train
Concentration camp
Poland
Lilith’s Cave (The ovens)
Barracks
Camp kitchen
Inferences
Magic door
Maybe it had something to do with the wine.
Maybe it was her “sacrifice” that made her go back in time.
She’s in a coma.
She’s dreaming.
Grandpa Will has PTSD.
Hannah thinks the traditions are weird and stupid.
Hannah’s daydreaming.
Hannah and Chaya share memories.
Terms to Know
Matzoh - unleavened (flat) bread traditionally served at Passover as a symbol of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt
Concentration Camp - a facility used for the imprisonment and forced labor of political prisoners, minorities, and those considered enemies of the state during the Holocaust.
Passover - One of the four main Jewish Holidays that commemorates the Israelites' liberation from slavery in Egypt, marked by a ritual feast known as the Seder.
Isaiah - A prophet in the Hebrew Bible and who is considered one of the major prophets, known for his messages of hope and redemption.
Seder - a ritual meal that marks the beginning of Passover, involving the reading of the Haggadah and the consumption of symbolic foods.
Shtetl - a small village in Eastern Europe where Jewish communities lived, often characterized by close-knit social structures and various cultural traditions.
Yiddish - A language spoken by Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish people. It is a mix of Hebrew and German, often incorporating elements of Slavic languages, and serves as a key component of Jewish cultural identity.
The Four Questions - a traditional part of the Passover Seder, these questions are asked by the youngest child present to spark curiosity and discussion about the significance of Passover.
Midden - a term used to describe a garbage heap or refuse pile, often associated with waste disposal practices in rural communities, which can also reflect the social conditions and struggles faced by the inhabitants.